Her relationship with Dai Zhiqiang was pretty good, but Lin Xiang fell for her acting hook, line, and sinker. Nevertheless, it felt pretty nice to hear this person say that.
"But I also understand where you are coming from. We, men, thought we could take on the world, but when it came to the most important things, we always realized it too late."
There was a sense of melancholy in the way he said that. Li Caiyi couldn't help but ask curiously. "Did the same thing happen to you too, Uncle?"
Lin Xiang smiled bitterly. "The ring I asked you to find. I bought it for my girlfriend. She was a wonderful woman whom I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. It wasn't expensive, but I poured all my love into that ring when planning my proposal."
"What? Such an important item! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Li Caiyi felt terrible now. She treated a precious thing like that as her bargaining chip.
"Because there is no hurry. My girlfriend passed away a few years ago. Before I could propose to her, she got into a car accident."
"Oh."
Li Caiyi had no other words to say. If she felt bad before, now she feels incredibly guilty. "I'm sorry to hear that."
Lin Xiang smiled generously, but his movement was awkward like he was trying to feign an okay expression.
"It's not your fault, Miss Li. As I said before, my girlfriend was too kind. Even though I was the selfish one for postponing our wedding, she still supported and waited for me. You reminded me of her, although you are more on the deviant side."
Lin Xiang's attempt to crack a joke didn't bring a smile to Li Caiyi's face. It made her shoulders slump even further.
The word 'waiting' sounded simple, but it was actually the hardest thing to do. Especially when all that time spent waiting ended in naught in the end.
"That's right. Making other people wait for so long while hiding everything is just a selfish move."
Those words slipped from her mouth, catching Lin Xiang off guard. A self-deprecating laugh came out of his mouth. "You are right."
"But if she can spend a long time waiting for you, then it means she loves you that much." Li Caiyi added in a much softer voice. She thought for a bit before rummaging through her bag and taking out that ring.
"I'm sorry, Uncle. I actually have it with me all this time. But I just want to know what your deal with Zhiqiang is. You can forget about our previous deal. This ring is important to you, so don't lose it again."
It surprised Lin Xiang for a moment before a faint smile spread over his face. He took the ring from her hand.
"Thank you, Miss Li. Your words and actions mean a lot to me."
Perhaps she could only wait until Dai Zhiqiang told her honestly.
"I guess that ends our business here. I will take my leave first, Uncle. My sister is waiting for me."
"Wait, Miss Li. Do you have some free time tomorrow?"
Li Caiyi tried to remember but later shook her head. "Yes, I do have free time tomorrow. Do you still need something from me?"
"Didn't you say you want to know what Zhiqiang is up to? Come with me tomorrow, and I'll show you around."
Li Caiyi almost couldn't believe what she had just heard. The bald man was initially intimidating, but now he shone with an angelic halo on top of his head. Or it was probably just the reflection of sunlight on his bald head.
"Really? Are you really going to take me there?"
"You saved me a lot of trouble by picking up this ring. I should at least do this much to thank you." Lin Xiang grinned with his thumbs up. "And I changed my mind, too. Zhiqiang is my brother, but I'm supporting you all the way. I'm sure you can get through his thick skull if it's you."
"Uncle! Thank you very much! I'd appreciate it."
"No worries. Then I'll see you in front of your apartment building tomorrow morning."
"Yes. Wait, I still don't know your name yet."
"It's Lin Xiang. You can call me Uncle Lin if you want."
Li Caiyi nodded before waving her hand at him. "Then I'll take my leave, Uncle Lin. See you tomorrow!"
That was unexpected, but at least she got what she wanted. Li Caiyi skipped her way to the bus stop and couldn't wait for tomorrow to come. Then a realization suddenly struck her.
"Hang on. How did Uncle Lin know I was living in an apartment?"
***
Li Caiyi stared intently at Lin Xiang, who was waiting for her in front of her apartment building.
Of course, there was a possibility he knew her address from Dai Zhiqiang, but with her boyfriend's possessive nature, it was unlikely Dai Zhiqiang would tell him anything.
The only other plausible explanation was Uncle Lin investigated her, which made her restless.
Could she really trust this person? From how genuine he looked when he told her about his late girlfriend, he didn't appear to be a bad person. Lin Xiang was also her only lead to find out more about Dai Zhiqiang, but just how much can she trust him?
While Li Caiyi still mulled over the thought, Lin Xiang had spotted her and hurried over. The scene gave her a sense of déjà vu.
"Good morning, Miss Li. Are you ready?"
"Yeah. But before that, can I ask you something?"
"Hm? Ask away."
"Uncle Lin, how do you know I live here? Did Zhiqiang tell you that?"
If Lin Xiang was surprised, he didn't show it to his face. "Didn't I tell you I coincidentally saw you coming out of the building yesterday? I had some business around here yesterday."
Li Caiyi narrowed her eyes skeptically, but Lin Xiang only shrugged his shoulders casually. "There's nothing I can do if you don't believe me. But don't we have a more important thing to do right now?"
Whether he deliberately said that to divert her attention or not, he was right. Li Caiyi spent all night thinking about what she should say if she and Dai Zhiqiang were to meet?
'I wonder what kind of face he would make?'
It would be a lie if she said she wasn't nervous.
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