Standing by the door was Meng Yaoshu, who looked at them sternly. Qin Xiangjun stood behind him with an unreadable expression on her face.
"How can I not when you guys disturbed everyone's morning by causing a stir here? It was so loud I could hear you from the hallway."
Li Caiyi turned her head, and her gaze met with the man who had utterly deceived her before.
The same mouth which revealed the most sinister scheme before now curled up in a smile at her. There was no trace of hostility at all.
"I have heard the story from my wife, but I'm glad you are doing fine, Xiaoyi. How are you feeling? Did you sleep well?"
Now that Li Caiyi already knew his true colors, it felt sickening to see him pretending to be amiable like this.
Suppressing the urge to vomit, she replied politely, "Thanks to you, I slept very well, thank you very much. It's been a while since I last saw you."
"What do you mean? Didn't we meet during the anniversary party? We didn't have a chance to exchange words due to circumstances, but I was there when you delivered your speech. You have grown into such a fine woman, Xiaoyi. Uncle is proud of you."
"... I'm honored you think so."
Meng Yaoshu's smile faded as he shifted his gaze to Meng Shuchun. "What did you do this time? Why can't you just stay still and not cause trouble for a day?"
Meng Shuchun bit her lips, feeling aggrieved and ashamed. She was only protecting her brother, so why did he make it sound like she was being unreasonable? It was Li Caiyi who came here and provoked her first!
"We heard everything you said from the hallway. Apologize to Xiaoyi this instant."
"Father!" Meng Shuchun exclaimed in disbelief. She knew his father didn't like her very much, but how could he ask her to apologize to a leech like Li Caiyi?"
She had to endure the humiliation of getting reprimanded in front of her enemy, and now he wanted her to apologize? Meng Shuchun was very unwilling!
"You will soon turn 17 but look at you, throwing tantrums immediately when things don't go your way. Don't you feel embarrassed?"
"But it's because she treats our family like a joke! Father, I'm your daughter, but you prefer to defend that white lotus?"
Meng Yaoshu glared at her, and Meng Shuchun clamped her mouth shut. She dared not to disobey her father, as reluctant as she was.
"Xiaoyi, how about you stay with us for breakfast?" Meng Yaoshu asked her again.
Li Caiyi was quick to shake her head. "No. I have inconvenienced you enough, and I'm afraid my family will be worried."
"Is that so? What a shame. Then, next time, let's have a meal together with your mother and siblings."
Meng Yaoshu didn't insist and let her go quickly. Li Caiyi was relieved.
"Renshu, you should take her home."
"Father! There is no need to do that. Didn't we already give her enough favor? Just let her go home by herself!"
Meng Yaoshu looked at his daughter in displeasure, making the latter shut her mouth again. He opened his mouth to rebuke her again when Qin Xiangjun stopped him.
"Husband, please don't get angry. Little Chun is a bit wilful, but she doesn't mean any harm. Renshu promised to accompany her this morning, so she is upset that the plan has been canceled because he needs to take care of Xiaoyi.
I hope you won't take her words to heart, too, Xiaoyi."
"Auntie, it's okay. I'm not offended, and there is no need to prepare a car for me. I can go home by myself."
"Are you sure you will be fine?" Qin Xiangjun asked again worriedly.
If Li Caiyi didn't know any better, she probably would have already been tricked into thinking she genuinely cared for her. But her intention was pretty clear from her statements.
Li Caiyi never asked for anyone to take her home, alright? It was her husband and son who kept proposing the idea.
"Yes. It's alright."
"Xiaoyi…" Meng Renshu was about to say something else, but Li Caiyi shot him a warning look. Only then did he finally relent. "I will send you off to the door."
Li Caiyi quickly thanked them for their hospitality before hurriedly leaving the room with Meng Renshu following her.
"Xiaoyi, those guys are probably still wandering around. I will send some people to guard you again. This time I will pick them up by myself. You don't need to worry about anything."
Li Caiyi nodded. "Brother Renshu, have you received any news about Dai Zhiqiang since then?"
"Nothing. I tried to reach him several times, but the line wouldn't connect."
Li Caiyi became more anxious after hearing that. She was also concerned about Dai Shenqiang. Although she believed Dai Zhiqiang wouldn't leave his defenseless brother alone, she was still worried.
Sure enough, she couldn't stay still. Li Caiyi parted ways with Meng Renshu, intending to pay Ye Wang a visit.
***
It wasn't her first time there, but this place was as imposing as ever.
Li Caiyi stood before Ye Wang's gate and saw the guards who usually stood in front of it were nowhere to be seen. That wasn't very careful, considering they had just been attacked recently.
Unlike before, today she came here alone, so no one would give her a free pass to enter. Lin Xiang and Dai Zhiqiang warned her to not come here by herself, but this was an urgent situation.
Li Caiyi tried to push the big door in front of her, but it wouldn't budge. It was locked.
Left with no choice, she tried banging the door simply because she thought knocking wouldn't be enough.
"Excuse me! Is there anyone inside?!"
Li Caiyi yelled at the top of her lungs, but no one answered. She tried several times, but the result was all the same. She was disappointed and couldn't help slumping in defeat.
Just when she was about to leave, she could faintly hear footsteps from inside. It awakened Li Caiyi's spirit again, so she began to bang on the door again.
"Excuse me? Can you hear me?! I need to speak with Mr. Lin Xiang!"
"That voice, could it be Li Caiyi?"
Li Caiyi gasped upon hearing that familiar voice. "Shenqiang, is that you?"
"What are you doing here? Wait a minute; I will call someone to open the door for you!"
It didn't take a long time for him to return. There was a clicking noise from the other side, and the next moment, the door was pushed open, revealing Dai Shenqiang, who stood on the other side.
Li Caiyi was so relieved to see him safe and sound, so she opened her arms and gave him a big hug. Dai Shenqiang was flustered, and all questions in his head immediately vanished.
The hug didn't last long as Li Caiyi quickly released him. "I'm so glad you are alright! But why are you here?"
"Ahem, That's also my question, but you should enter first. It's not safe outside."
The Ye Wang's men, who stood by Dai Shenqiang's side, scrutinized her up and down warily but said nothing when she walked past them. They brought her to a room where she underwent a body check before those men finally relaxed.
Dai Shenqiang brought her to an empty living room before he finally bombarded her with questions. He asked her if she was okay, why she suddenly disappeared, or how she could find this place.
Li Caiyi patiently answered him. By the time she finished explaining, Dai Shenqiang had looked like he had lost a few years of his life.
"I see. I'm so glad you can make it out safely. My brother told me I would be safe if I followed those shady-looking people. Still, I actually have no idea what's happening. Nobody is willing to explain when I ask them."
"Shenqiang, have you heard anything about your brother and father?"
"Just a few hours ago, some people returned with Father, but they left again soon. As for my brother, I haven't heard a word from him ever since he left." Dai Shenqiang said gloomily.
Li Caiyi's heart sank. Why hasn't he come back yet if Dai Bolin was here? Did something happen to him?
Dai Shenqiang noticed her apprehension and unconsciously held her hand to calm her down. "Caiyi, I understand your concern, but don't worry too much. You know how strong my brother is. I'm sure he will be back soon."
Li Caiyi felt a little better hearing that. Dai Shenqiang should have worried more about him, but he consoled her instead. "Thank you."
Dai Shenqiang released her hand soon after. As much as he wanted to hold it longer, he knew it was inappropriate.
"Then, where is Uncle now? Can I see him?"
"My father was already examined by a doctor and is currently asleep. He had sleeping drugs in his system, but aside from that, he suffered no injuries. The old man who owned this place said I shouldn't bother him for some time."
The old man who owned this place must be Ye Huizhong. Li Caiyi didn't know much about this group, but since Dai Zhiqiang trusted him, it should be okay to leave Dai Bolin with him.
Her shoulder felt much more relaxed now. If only she knew what happened to Dai Zhiqiang, she could finally sleep peacefully.
"Ahem."
Both of them turned their heads simultaneously at the sound and found a man standing a few steps away from them. He smiled politely and wore a neat suit like a modern butler.
They didn't notice he was there until he made his presence known.
"The Master wants to meet Li Caiyi. I will take you there."
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