Wei Yumeng was unaccustomed to Zhan Yangyi's gentle demeanor. In the past, whenever she saw him, he was like a hedgehog, intent on pricking anyone he met until they were covered in wounds.
"Actually, you being like this is quite good."
Zhan Yangyi paused slightly. "What's good?"
Wei Yumeng explained, "It's your current friendly attitude towards people. You probably never imagined how much I used to dislike you."
Zhan Yangyi awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. So he had been that detestable to Wei Yumeng before? However, he wasn't surprised at all.
"Thank you for your trouble today. It's also time for dinner. Would you be willing to join me? Consider it my way of thanking you."
Wei Yumeng felt that these words sounded strangely familiar.
Zhan Yangyi quickly explained, "This time, it's purely for dinner."
"Of course, but I don't want to go to that kind of place this time."
Zhan Yangyi chuckled, his eyes even holding a hint of indulgence he himself hadn't noticed. "Alright, you decide where this time."
Wei Yumeng felt that the current turn of events was rather unexpected. After all, they had been so antagonistic before, yet now they could interact so harmoniously. It truly gave one a sense of life's unpredictability.
They walked down the street, occasionally chatting about interesting things they had encountered. They were tacitly in agreement, not mentioning their past animosity.
However, at that moment, Wei Yumeng saw a child playing. His ball suddenly rolled into the road, and the child, without a second thought, chased after it.
As a mother, Wei Yumeng knew how dangerous the child's situation was. Without a word to Zhan Yangyi, she immediately chased after the child.
"Yumeng." Zhan Yangyi was shocked, for he had already seen a car speeding towards Wei Yumeng and the child.
By the time Wei Yumeng realized what was happening, Zhan Yangyi had already rushed forward and forcefully pushed her and the child towards the side of the road.
Everything happened too quickly. By the time Wei Yumeng recovered, Zhan Yangyi had collapsed in a pool of blood.
"Zhan Yangyi! Wake up!" Wei Yumeng's mind reeled with horror. She had no idea why this had happened.
She discovered that Zhan Yangyi could still be saved and urgently called an ambulance.
Old Master Zhan and Zhan Mohan received Wei Yumeng's notification and rushed to the hospital.
Wei Yumeng sat in the hospital corridor, her face pale and trembling uncontrollably.
"Yumeng, don't be afraid. It's alright," Zhan Mohan embraced her, comforting her.
"Mohan, I don't know why things turned out this way. Clearly... clearly..."
Zhan Mohan gently stroked Wei Yumeng's back. "It will get better."
Despite Zhan Mohan's words, Wei Yumeng already had her own assessment of the situation. If she hadn't been so careless about safety, Zhan Yangyi wouldn't have ended up in this state trying to save her.
After nearly half an hour, the doctor emerged from the operating room.
"How is my grandson?" Old Master Zhan asked anxiously.
"The patient is no longer in life-threatening danger. However, his legs were crushed by the car, and the injuries are severe. He needs to remain in the hospital for observation. But I believe with treatment, he will fully recover."
Old Master Zhan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had been at odds with Zhan Yangyi, he was, after all, a child of the Zhan family.
In the following days, Wei Yumeng came to the hospital almost every day to personally care for Zhan Yangyi. This even made Zhan Yangyi feel somewhat overwhelmed.
"I'm truly surprised you're here to take care of me," Zhan Yangyi said, watching Wei Yumeng's busy figure, his heart filled with delight.
Wei Yumeng sighed helplessly. "If you hadn't saved me that day, I might be the one in the hospital now. In a sense, you are my savior, so these are things I should do."
Wei Yumeng's explanation made Zhan Yangyi feel a pang of displeasure. He would have preferred it if Wei Yumeng genuinely came to care for him, rather than out of a sense of报恩 (bào ēn - repaying kindness).
However, Wei Yumeng didn't notice Zhan Yangyi's feelings and continued to focus on her tasks.
In fact, Wei Yumeng's constant presence at the hospital to care for Zhan Yangyi had already caused Zhan Mohan's displeasure. Although Wei Yumeng had explained her reasons, Zhan Mohan wasn't easily reassured.
As soon as Wei Yumeng put down the items in her hands, she saw Zhan Mohan arrive, accompanied by a strange woman.
"Take good care of him." Zhan Mohan didn't explain to Wei Yumeng, simply instructing the woman.
Only then did Wei Yumeng realize that Zhan Mohan had hired a caregiver for Zhan Yangyi.
Zhan Mohan said directly in front of Zhan Yangyi, "Yumeng, from now on, she will take care of him. She is a qualified caregiver I personally selected, so you can rest assured."
Wei Yumeng felt a bit awkward. She had never worried about whether Zhan Yangyi would be well taken care of; it was just that she felt a sense of obligation.
Wei Yumeng pulled Zhan Mohan out of the ward. "Mohan, what are you doing?"
"With a caregiver, you won't have to come here every day," Zhan Mohan said coldly.
"But I want to express my gratitude in my own way. After all, he ended up like this because he saved me."
Zhan Mohan frowned. "You've already done enough. It's fine if you don't personally do it from now on. Come back with me now."
Seeing Zhan Mohan's demeanor, Wei Yumeng knew he was genuinely upset. She also understood Zhan Mohan's feelings, but she couldn't simply let go of the debt she owed Zhan Yangyi for saving her life.
"Mohan, can we talk about this again?" Wei Yumeng asked tentatively. No matter what, she still wanted to try to persuade him.
However, Zhan Mohan's silent gaze at her was all the answer she needed.
In fact, Zhan Mohan had considered Wei Yumeng's feelings, which was why he hadn't directly stopped her in the preceding days. But now, so many days had passed, and he felt she had done more than enough.
Wei Yumeng looked at Zhan Mohan and knew that once he had made up his mind, there was no room for negotiation, at least not for now.
So, Wei Yumeng, appearing obedient, hugged Zhan Mohan's arm. "Alright, I'll go back with you."
Zhan Yangyi had anticipated that Wei Yumeng would be taken away by Zhan Mohan. Yet, he still held a sliver of hope that Wei Yumeng would ultimately stay for him. But in the end, hope was just hope.