Meng Yan's Transformation

Chapter 652 Delivering Zhang Xincheng on Behalf of His Brother

The exercise book, temporarily forgotten by them, quietly closed its pages in the afterglow of the setting sun, as if it too had temporarily gathered up those complex lines and unsolved puzzles, waiting for the next moment to be illuminated by sunlight and children's voices.

After dinner, Zhan Mengyan, Zhan Zixun, and Zhang Xincheng studied the exercises again.

As night fell, Zhan Yu and Yun Qing went to rest. Zhan Zixun went to wash up, and Zhang Xincheng said goodbye, as he was going home.

"Mengyan, could you see Xincheng off for me, and lock the gate behind you? See you tomorrow, Xincheng..."

Zhan Zixun brushed his teeth while speaking, his words mumbled indistinctly.

Zhan Mengyan and Zhang Xincheng walked into the courtyard. The hibiscus tree in the corner rustled in the evening breeze, as if whispering the weariness of the day. The moon cast a soft light, painting everything in a cool hue.

Zhan Mengyan escorted Zhang Xincheng to the gate. She had just locked the gate when the clear sound of the metal latches clicking was particularly distinct in the silence. Looking down, she saw Zhang Xincheng's shadow elongated in the moonlight as he approached step by step.

"Mengyan." Zhang Xincheng's voice was shrouded in the night, deeper than during the day, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor. "I'm sorry I couldn't wait for you today."

Zhan Mengyan paused, a question rising in her mind: Did he know about my part-time job? She saw tears welling up in his eyes, like the silvery moonlight reflected on a lake rippled by the evening breeze. Zhang Xincheng raised his hand, his fingertips hovering an inch above her face, but he didn't bring it down. His hesitant expression seemed as if he was afraid to touch her pain.

“I went home with your brother Zixun.” Zhang Xincheng paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing, his voice filled with self-reproach, “You got heatstroke, had an allergic reaction to ultraviolet rays, and even bumped into a roadside stall… If we had been with you, you wouldn’t have suffered so much…”

Zhan Mengyan subconsciously touched her left cheek and neck, where a burning pain still lingered. She remembered feeling dizzy and her vision went black. She didn't know when she was woken up by the stall owner's scolding.

"Actually, we wanted to go home and see you as soon as possible. When we got home and found that you weren't back yet, I knew you had gone to work again. I saw that your hands were covered in injuries just now. Those must be from when you were working, right?" Zhang Xincheng's fingertips finally landed on Zhan Mengyan's cheek, the movement as light as touching a feather. He touched it lightly and then quickly withdrew his fingers, as if afraid of breaking something.

"Thank you, Mengyan, for the dumplings you gave us. Those dumplings must have cost you a lot of money, right?" Zhang Xincheng's voice was low with self-reproach, and his brows were slightly furrowed. "Why didn't you tell us you were working? It must have been so hard in this hot weather!"

Zhan Mengyan opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She saw that Zhang Xincheng's eyes were completely red, like clouds dyed red by the sunset. He turned his face away, his shoulders trembling slightly. But she knew that he was trying hard to hold back his tears, and that tough expression made Zhan Mengyan's heart ache.

"Actually..." Zhan Mengyan finally spoke, her voice as soft as a falling leaf, "I was afraid you would worry, feel sorry for me, and stop me from continuing to work. That's why I didn't tell you about my part-time job."

Zhang Xincheng whirled around, his eyes red-rimmed. He grabbed Zhan Mengyan's arm with such force that she felt her bones were about to break. He pressed his chin against the top of her head, his voice muffled: "Don't do this again. If anything happens to you again, I...I..."

Zhang Xincheng's words were interrupted by a sob.

"It hurts...it hurts..." Zhan Mengyan said in a low voice, her eyes wide open.

Zhang Xincheng released his grip as if he had been electrocuted.