"Senior Meng, are you thirsty? Here is a bottle of mineral water for you!"
"Are you hungry? I happened to bring a lot of food from home. Do you want to eat lunch with us?"
Meng Renshu smiled politely at the group of girls in front of him. "You guys are too kind. Thank you for your offer, but I already have my own lunch and drinks. Please don't worry about me."
It took fifteen minutes before Meng Renshu could shake those girls away and go elsewhere. To avoid the same situation, he joined his classmates and chatted a bit with them.
It was a shame that Li Junjie wasn't here. If he was here, no girls would dare to approach him carelessly, as his best friend was blessed with the skill to scare people off without doing anything. Meng Renshu wouldn't need to deal with those girls if he was here.
More and more students arrived at the temple as time passed by. Most of them were half-dead by the time they reached the peak, but that wasn't the case with Meng Renshu since he always had a trainer planning a training menu for him.
He might not have a bulky body, but his body was well-proportioned with just the correct amount of muscles. Unlike most male students who only worked out during PE class, he exercised regularly and gained a well-built body.
It was no wonder that Meng Renshu still looked fresh and full of energy even after climbing a long distance.
While resting, Meng Renshu occasionally glanced toward the temple gate, searching for someone. However, even after one hour passed, he still couldn't see Li Caiyi anywhere.
"Strange, she isn't here yet?" he muttered but decided not to overthink it and waited a bit longer.
Fifteen minutes later, a group of familiar girls entered the temple yard. They were the girls who were often with Li Caiyi. But this time, they arrived without her anywhere.
Meng Renshu suddenly had a bad feeling about it. He bade goodbye to his friends and walked over to the three girls, but someone had beaten him to it.
"What? He is here?" Meng Renshu's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Dai Zhiqiang talking with the three girls.
He couldn't hear their interaction from where he stood, so he wasted no time and approached them.
"Hello there." Meng Renshu flashed a friendly smile, catching the four of them off guard. "Sorry to disturb your conversation, but have you seen Xiaoyi anywhere?"
"Senior Meng, Caiyi has not been with us since the beginning. She said she wanted to reach the peak quickly, so she went ahead of us." The girl with short hair explained with concern in her voice. If he recalled correctly, this girl's name was Zhou Ya.
"Both of you were here first. Have you tried searching for her?" Feng Nian added with a grim expression.
"No. I was among the first ones who arrive here. I didn't see her anywhere." Meng Renshu replied.
Dai Zhiqiang added, "Same with me. I had already walked around the temple but couldn't find her anywhere. I can't reach her phone either."
"Perhaps she is tired and is taking a rest on the way?" Chen Ruolan said.
"If she is, then we should have bumped into her on the way." Zhou Ya replied before adding worriedly. "I don't believe she is lost because the road is only straight up ahead. Do you think she is currently in some kind of trouble?"
No one responded to Zhou Ya's speculation, but they didn't deny that possibility either. The atmosphere suddenly turned heavy.
"I will go down and search for her again," Dai Zhiqiang was the first to break the ice.
Meng Renshu grabbed him by the shoulder before he could walk away. "Wait, we should report this to the teacher first."
Dai Zhiqiang only stared at him for a few moments before brushing off Meng Renshu's hand. "You guys do that. I'll search for her."
"Hey!"
Meng Renshu's call fell on deaf ears because Dai Zhiqiang quickly ran outside the temple gate. The older student watched his back with a conflicted gaze before sighing in defeat.
"Can I ask you to report to the teacher about this? I will go search for Caiyi too. She probably will be here, so you guys should wait here."
"Understood, Senior Meng." Zhou Ya took the lead in answering.
Meng Renshu didn't waste any more time as he ran to search for Li Caiyi too.
'Xiaoyi, where are you? I hope you are fine.'
***
Meanwhile, Li Caiyi, who was still unconscious, dreamed about the distant past.
In her dream, she stood in the corner of the room, watching a pair of men and women argue about something.
It took her a moment to notice that the pair in front of her was Meng Renshu and her in their previous life.
"Are you sure you want to do this? You know people will talk badly about you for this, right?" Meng Renshu stared sharply at Li Caiyi. The latter hung her head low, but her voice was firm.
"Yes. I don't have anyone I can ask for help except for you."
At that time, she was so focused on her own thoughts that she didn't notice the painful look in his eyes. His voice was hoarse like he was choked on his own emotion.
"Xiaoyi, do you really not feel anything, letting Xiaohua work as my secretary? Tell me honestly."
'Ah, I remember this.'
Li Caiyi, who was just an observer until a moment ago, felt like she had become one with Li Caiyi in front of her once she remembered this scene.
It was the time when she begged Meng Renshu to let Li Chunhua work as his secretary. Because that was everyone's wish.
As Li Chunhua's sister, she had to understand that her sister's physical condition would hinder her from getting a proper job.
However, if she became Meng Renshu's secretary, her workload would be shared with other secretaries, and there would be no risk of getting fired, as Meng Renshu understood her condition.
It was an ideal workplace for someone like Li Chunhua. Thus, everyone urged her to persuade Meng Renshu. She was put in a difficult position, but no one cared.
All that mattered was Li Chunhua.
The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr𝒆e(w)𝒆bnovel