章 96: Comfort in His Arms

December 21, 20XX (Friday Night)

Hospital & The Palace Residency- Condominiums

Mei Li got out of the Hospital with Yang, leaving behind Dr. Zhang Li Xi to examine the result of the series of test she had done. It had been hard to do all the test because Yang's hands would not let go on his grip with Mei Li's. Dr. Zhang Li Xi had teased the CEO at first, and the nurse was giggling at them, but the doctor had found out how shameless his friend truly is. His teasing was ignored as Yang had continued to comfort Mie Li with pats on her head, caresses on her back, short pecks on the forehead or the cheeks or her hands, well, anywhere he could kiss, he would.

The Doctor begun to feel frustrated after the CEO would make his job harder by commenting on various things unrelated to the test that would tick the doctor into a savage and fuming human mode. Dr. Zhang Li Xi, due to being triggered by his friend, then flirted with Mei Li and had successfully caused the Painter to giggle when he had whispered something in the woman's ears that Yang was unable to hear.

The CEO's sadistic side awoken with his savage tongue and roasted the doctor in every possible chance; only Mei Li had stopped him after she had complained that the noise was hurting her ears. The doctor had given Mei Li a grateful nod.

The test was finally done after 3 hours in the hospital, and Dr. Zhang Li Xi couldn't be any grateful that his sadistic friend was finally going home and leaving him alone. Mei Li had watched as the doctor shooed them away, uncaring as he turned to his other patients and ignoring Yang.

Yang had chuckled at the doctor's evasive personality before leaving with Mei Li and into his car. Mei Li had got into the passenger with Yang closing the door for her and then hurrying over to the driver seat before she asked, "Can we go the Zhao Manor?"

"Sure, " Yang started his car and drove off after saying, "We'll go to my place first so we can apply the salve on your burns. I have papers to pick up that Yu Sheng will deliver there."

Mei Li nodded and tried to sit comfortably without her back touching the cushion of the seat. The burns on her neck had looked small at first, but apparently, it had extended far downwards that he had first thought it was. Her shirt was already thrown away at the hospital as one of the nurses had been kind enough to give her one of her extra shirts because her back was fully exposed to the elements. She fiddled with her short hair and felt the burnt ends of her hair. She is in dire need for a haircut.

Yang had watched silently as the piano tune in the background had slowly made the painter sleep again. She had a rough night and his friend, Dr. Zhang Li Xi had told him that Mei Li had an exaggerated reaction to the sleeping pills pounded into powder and had warned Yang to carefully watch her because she might suffer some signs of narcolepsy as long as the drug is still in her system.

Arriving at his five bedrooms luxurious condominium, Yang carried Mei Li into his room with so much care that some famous and elite person living in the condo had seen his action with disbelief. The CEO was careful not to touch Mei Li's upper back and only to use her lower back as the place where his hand supported her to stay put in his arms.

Zhao Yang could only sigh in relief after he positioned Mei Li to sleep on her right side and had carefully put pillows around her so she wouldn't move needlessly. Yang applied the salve to the area where he could see. Although he had wanted to apply to all affected areas, he couldn't because he felt it was bad mannered to lift a woman's shirt off without her express permission, and she'd kill him if she knew.

Yang sat beside her while he worked on his laptop while flipping on the papers in his other hand. He had waited for her to wake up so they could go to Zhao Manor. He didn't want to go to the manor without her being wide awake because he can't hide behind a sleeping person when his mother blows up in anger. He waited for her to wake up but instead, she tossed and turned as if she had a bad dream. She yelped when she laid on her back and had directly laid on the second-degree burns on her upper torso.

"You're safe..." Yang instantly maneuvered her to sit up and lean her left side to his right side and continued to bring her comfort as he spun circles in her palms, "...as long as I am here, you will always be safe."

"I am scared..." Her soft and trembling voice hurt Yang's heart. He loves her independence and her fiery attitude than most, but this dependent person looks so cute and so irresistible.

"You can be scared, but I'm here now..." Yang kissed the side of her head before continuing, "You're not alone."

"Thank you..." Mei Li burrowed her face on his neck while wrapping her arms on his chest and then sitting on his lap with her legs straddling his and making him let go of his laptop and the papers that were now tossed on the side creating a mess on the bed.

Yang was surprised by this but was too afraid that she might get go if he voices out his thoughts, so he replied only about their subject, "Anything for you."

Yang's thought process had a short circuit and remained silent in his disbelief. She was uncannily tactile and assertive. He didn't mind that at all, but he needed to get used to her being like this or was she behaving like this because of trauma from the fire?

"Yang," Mei Li interrupted his thoughts.

Yang tried to look at her eyes, but she clung to him like a koala, "hum?"

"Let's spend Christmas in Zhao Manor?"

Yang answered in a daze, "Sure, whatever you want." She was so forward now. It must be the trauma, but he likes her this way yet he does not want her to be traumatized, and he was in a hard spot again.

"Yang," Mei Li interrupted his thoughts again.

"hum?"

This time Mei Li loosened her hold on him and looked up to meet his eyes, "Can we go shopping? My clothes are burned..."

Yang crumbled at the tears that had begun to gather in her eyes, "...alright, we should buy you more painting materials too."

"Really? Thank you," Mei Li beamed a smile of gratefulness at him before burrowing her face into his neck again and continued with muffled words, "I'll work harder for the early finish of the interior designs."

"None of that," Yang chastised the woman in his arms while caressing her back again, "You just have to stay beside me, and I'll buy you the world if you want."

"Silly," Mei Li childishly giggled which burrowing her face into Yang's neck as her nose touched his neck. His smell was invading her senses. She continued after a while, "You can't afford to buy the world."

"Then I'll sell all my wine then I can afford to buy the world."

"Does that means you have more wine that I don't know about?" Mei Li snorted, releasing a short hot air in her nose that tickled Yang's neck causing him to smile wider.

"Nope," Yang immediate denial made him more suspicious and unbelievable, "I don't have anymore."

"I don't believe you," Mei Li leaned away to stare at him eye to eye.

Yang pulled her closer to him again, reluctant to let her out of his arms, and firmly commanded her, "Go to sleep."

Mei Li grinned and Yang could feel her do it with the skin on his neck where her lips touched. He knew she was going to start being mischievous again. It was then that he knows she's going to be alright.

"Yang," Mei Li called out his name again. He felt that she had been calling his name more than necessary today.

"Yes?"

Yang had tried to arrange the scattered papers back into a pile with a woman clinging to him like a koala. It was a hard process, but it was worthwhile.

"I like you..." Mei Li murmured so softly that he had not almost heard it.

Yang froze midway to pick another paper and then slumped into his bed. Now, he can't focus on work with those words.

"... and I like you more. If you want my heart, I 'll give it to you without questions." He disregarded the papers and his multi-million dollar business to take care of this priceless woman in his arms.

And the words she had uttered next had put him in heavenly bliss, "... I'll take it as long as you take mine too."

'I am yours as you are mine' was that what she is trying to say? He had grown worried that maybe they were moving too fast, but when he heard those words of her, he didn't care. They do this relationship in their own pace; whether it be fast, slow, or agonizingly slow.

Right now, he felt as if he had gained the world. The painter fell asleep in his arms, and he closed his eyes to nap a little too, not knowing they'll be sleeping the night away in that position.