A birthday party, huh?
Li Caiyi wasn't sure when Li Chunhua asked her. But she couldn't bring herself to reject it when she was so enthusiastic about it.
'Well, it's not a big request and I did promise to fulfill her wish. I should do at least this much for her,' Li Caiyi thought inwardly.
And it wasn't the time to think about that, anyway.
Li Caiyi took a sip of her lemonade while waiting for Meng Renshu to arrive. The reason she rejected Li Chunhua's offer was that she had made plans with him beforehand. She had to talk to him as soon as possible.
The matter with Lu Ruan had preoccupied her, but now that one problem was settled, it was time to talk to him. Li Caiyi was a bit nervous and unconfident.
What should she say to convince him? He told her that Li Chunhua didn't have a good end in their previous life, and he regretted it very much. Should she appeal to that to make him agree to help her?
A moment later, Li Caiyi shook that thought. What was she even thinking? Using that underhanded trick would leave a bad taste in her mouth since she knew who was the most responsible for Li Chunhua's circumstances.
Her thought was interrupted when she saw him walking in. He looked around before finding her on the corner seat. She especially chose this spot so no one would bother them.
Meng Renshu beamed as he strode over. Was it her imagination but his face looked extremely fresh? He looked like he had just stepped out of the bath, exuding a clean and cool charm.
It was afternoon and there were quite some people in the cafe, and their eyes simultaneously fell on him, as if attracted by his other-worldly visuals.
Li Caiyi was used to him garnering people's attention, but his appearance looked exceptionally handsome today. Everyone's eyes just naturally fell on him, like he was the only color in the monochrome room.
"Xiaoyi, you arrived earlier than me. Did I make you wait for long?"
"Huh? Oh, it's fine." Li Caiyi almost stuttered. That face of his should be illegal. "Ahem. Please sit down first."
Meng Renshu took the seat across from her and ordered a black coffee for himself. The waitress' faces were blushing throughout, a scene that often happened. After she left, he shifted his attention back to Li Caiyi. His smile never left his face, as if he was in a terrific mood.
"I thought it will take longer for you to ask me out, so I was surprised to see your message."
Li Caiyi would prefer him not to use ambiguous terms such as 'asking him out', but as the person who needed his help, she would let it slide for once.
"Sorry for asking you to come here on short notice. But this is a very important matter, and I'd like to settle it quickly."
Meng Renshu propped his chin with his hand. His gaze carried inexplicable emotion behind them, and the intensity made her slightly uncomfortable. "What?"
"Nothing. It's just, you look better without your glasses, as expected. I was always wondering why you have it on when you don't have difficulty seeing."
He just had to make her feel self-conscious. Li Caiyi unconsciously looked down to avoid his eyes.
"It feels great to see your eyes directly. Now I can see your beautiful eyes directly. It's such a waste to cover them."
If he said those words to any other girls, they probably would swoon and fall for him instantly. But Li Caiyi only felt goosebumps all over her body.
"Stop that. That sweet-talking doesn't suit you at all."
He laughed in amusement. "What a shame. But everything I said is the truth."
"Alright, no more jokes from you. Let's talk about business."
Meng Renshu leaned his back on the backrest, with his arm crossed and a smug expression. He must have felt elated to see her ask for a favor. It was even more frustrating because he looked elegant while doing that.
Li Caiyi took a deep breath. "Before I started, I wanted to ask you if Brother Jie ever told you something about Xiaohua's condition in the past?"
Meng Renshu's brows rose with interest. "I'll take it that the favor you want to ask me is related to our past life?"
"That's right. To continue this talk, I have to know first..." Li Caiyi trailed off, feeling disconcerted to continue.
"Know what?"
"...about how long did Xiaohua live previously? At what age did she die?"
Meng Renshu's whole body stiffened. His smile disappeared and his countenance became grim and serious.
"I don't know, actually."
"What? How come you didn't know about that?" Li Caiyi asked in astonishment.
Meng Renshu averted his eyes from hers. "Our family's relationship became estranged after your death. Junjie forbade me from making any contact with Xiaohua and isolated her to make sure she had the full treatment. I never heard anything about her after that."
"I-I see."
Li Caiyi's shoulder slumped. She didn't see this coming at all. She initially thought to have a timeframe decided first thing would be ideal, but it seemed her hope was tarnished. Aside from the fact that Li Chunhua was still alive up until 26, there was no other information regarding her death.
"This also answers your first question. Junjie took it upon himself to make sure Xiaohua got the best treatment. He hid her from the world and I didn't know what happened to her after that."
If it was her brother who arranged everything, then she was certain that even Meng Renshu probably would have a hard time finding any information regarding Li Chunhua.
"Then, you never met Xiaohua after that?"
Meng Renshu didn't answer immediately. His expression slowly became grimmer. "No, I met her once. That day, Junjie called me and I used the chance to sneak into her room to have a good talk with her."
"He called you? Why?"
"The one who told me about your book is Junjie. He realized the similarity between the main character's story and yours, and summoned me to tell me."
Hearing about the events that happened after her death made her feel odd. If other people overheard their conversation, they would most likely think of them as crazy, or perhaps rehearsing for a movie.
"But how is any of this related to what you want to talk about? Don't keep me waiting anymore."
Li Caiyi chose her words carefully. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't seem to find any subtle words to tell him everything.
This would be the first time she had ever told anyone, except Detective Tang, about this. Her tongue felt bitter, realizing the weight of the secret she was about to tell him. However, if she wanted to help her sister, this was the best way to do it!
It was just ironic that the only one she could depend on right now was her ex-husband, whom she wanted to avoid at all costs.
"Xiaohua is an experimental subject for certain dubious drugs. She is...dying even as we spoke."
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