Chapter 111 Growing Up Quietly
Chen Jingyang couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her, his forehead, cheeks, and lips—he didn't want to miss a single spot.
Only at this time can he kiss wherever he wants and look at whatever he wants.
It was as if he had returned to the time when the two of them first lived together. It seemed that the person in the bed had not changed at all; she was still so clean and intelligent, and she belonged to him completely again.
After kissing for more than ten minutes and confirming that Zhang Pengfei was completely asleep, Chen Jingyang dressed him in his pajamas, left only a small night light on, and lay down next to Zhang Pengfei fully clothed.
He dared not take off his clothes to sleep.
For almost two months now, Zhang Pengfei has been waking up in the middle of the night, sometimes once, sometimes twice. He cries and is very difficult to soothe, and I have to hold him every time.
Zhang Pengfei would either curl up in his arms and let him hold her like a princess, gently rocking her like a baby.
Or he could be like a sloth, with his arms around Chen Jingyang's neck, his head pressed against Chen Jingyang's chest, straddling Chen Jingyang and letting Chen Jingyang carry his buttocks back and forth.
It always takes me an hour or two to fall asleep again.
But tonight, Zhang Pengfei slept soundly until dawn, a rare occurrence!
Starting from that day, Zhang Pengfei seemed to have suddenly gained superpowers, making great progress every day. After three weeks, his consciousness was basically clear, his orientation was fully restored, and he could even have some simple conversations, such as when it was raining.
Cognitive function also improved at a visible rate, and childish behavior decreased significantly, only occasionally appearing when extremely tired.
Each treatment session can therefore be extended, or even increased to two sessions.
He began to try walking in the corridor with the help of a walker, practicing going up and down low steps, buttoning his clothes, zipping up his clothes, peeling fruit, and so on.
In addition, many of his previous memories have been recovered, and his memory has improved significantly. He is now able to read simple paragraphs and answer comprehension questions.
The only regrettable thing is that he still has no impression of Chen Jingyang, as if the memory belonging to this person has been completely deleted from his brain.
"Chen Jingyang." Zhang Pengfei called out as he watched Chen Jingyang pack his things.
On the 212th day after being transferred to a regular ward, he finally met the discharge criteria. Starting today, he only needs to go to the rehabilitation center during the day from Monday to Friday, just like going to school, to receive intensive treatment for 4-6 hours continuously. He can go home in the evenings and on weekends.
"What's wrong?" Chen Jingyang stopped, turned to look at him, and asked with concern.
Zhang Pengfei's eyes were full of confusion: "What...what is our relationship? Why should I go home with you? Why do I have no memory of you at all?"
Chen Jingyang's temples throbbed twice. He had never asked this question before, since Zhang Pengfei had fully regained consciousness.
"I...I am your...sworn brother!" Chen Jingyang said carefully, "We...have lived together for a long time, oh, and Huahua too, the three of us!"
"Hmm..." Chen Jingyang lowered his head, avoiding Zhang Pengfei's eyes: "I don't know why you don't remember me. Director Li also... couldn't find the reason. Maybe you're not fully recovered yet."
Zhang Pengfei frowned: "I know that Huahua and I live together, but I can't remember living with you either."
His brows furrowed more and more, then suddenly his eyes twitched, and he cried out, "Ugh!" He clutched his head, his face contorted in pain.
"What's wrong?" Chen Jingyang hurriedly cupped his face and said in a panic, "If you can't remember, then don't think about it. Let's get to know each other again, okay?"
Zhang Pengfei paused for a moment, then raised his eyes, remained silent for a second, nodded, and smiled, "Alright, then, my name is Zhang Pengfei. May I ask who you are?"
Chen Jingyang held back his tears, took a step back, his hand trembling slightly, and extended it to Zhang Pengfei with a sincere and formal smile: "My name is Chen Jingyang. It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can... become friends."
Zhang Pengfei extended his hand, and the two hands clasped together, each carrying its own body heat, transferring warmth to the other—a feeling that was both strange and familiar.
“Me too.” Zhang Pengfei’s smile was bright and warm, relaxed and genuine, without a hint of meekness or subservience. In fact, it was a little arrogant, the kind of smile Chen Jingyang had always wanted to see.
Chen Jingyang's heart stirred.
Perhaps it should have been like this from the beginning: interacting with him as an equal, instead of forcing him to accept the identity of a dog.
Although, he never really treated him like any other dog.
"I'd like to go see my mom first, is that okay?"
After Zhang Pengfei's incident, Chen Jingyang lied to Dou Qiaoyun, saying that Zhang Pengfei had been sent out for training and that he would make several video calls to Dou Qiaoyun every week using face-swapping technology to prevent her from worrying.
Zhang Pengfei had remembered Dou Qiaoyun's hospitalization two weeks ago, but at that time he still needed a walker to walk, so he didn't dare to go over.
It was still early, and Dou Qiaoyun was actually very close to him; they were both at the rehabilitation center of Peking University Affiliated Hospital. However, Chen Jingyang had made arrangements with the hospital to prevent them from having a chance to meet.
"Okay, I'll go with you."
Dou Qiaoyun was overjoyed to see Zhang Pengfei. The doctor said that Dou Qiaoyun could be discharged from the hospital in another month.
However, her physical condition is not as good as that of a young man in his early twenties like Zhang Pengfei. Although she can take care of herself, one of her legs is useless and she will have to rely on crutches and a wheelchair in the future.
Zhang Pengfei can walk on his own, but his legs are still not flexible enough, and he walks very slowly. Chen Jingyang is afraid that he will fall, so he holds his hand the whole time.
At this point, there was no need to hide it from Dou Qiaoyun anymore. As expected, Dou Qiaoyun cried after learning the truth, but her emotions were not greatly affected. After all, Zhang Pengfei now looked no different from a normal person.
After leaving the hospital, the two did not go straight home, but went to the school to pick up Zhang Huahua first.
Zhang Huahua participated in a study tour organized by her school during the summer vacation, traveling around various European countries.
The little girl was overjoyed to see Zhang Pengfei, hugging and kissing him, and jumping around for a minute before stopping.
"Brother, I want to live at school when school starts."
Chen Jingyang glanced sideways and, before Zhang Pengfei could speak, asked her, "Why? Isn't it better to stay at home? I see you really like that older sister."
After Zhang Pengfei's accident, Chen Jingyang had to take care of him and worry about the company. He often had to stay in the hospital at night and didn't have time to take care of Huahua, so he specially hired a live-in nanny to take her to and from school and to eat and sleep.
Zhang Huahua just turned eight. Chen Jingyang always thought she was too young, but children always grow up quietly and become sensible without you even realizing it.
"No, it's fine at home, it's just... well, a lot of classmates are planning to live on campus, and Liu Chengzhou wants to live on campus too, saying it's more convenient to live on campus."
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