"That'll settle it then. We will meet again in a week." Ye Huizhong leaned his back against the backrest while leisurely blowing his pipe.
"Yes. I'm looking forward to our cooperation." Li Caiyi put out her hand for a handshake.
Ye Huizhong laughed before taking her hand. "You are as cheeky as the other kid. Don't you have any fear at all?"
"I have a lot of fear, but I can't afford to lose to it now."
"Glad to hear that. I don't need a coward as my business partner. My butler will soon come to you with a contract. I believe you will not have any problem with that?"
"Depends on the content of the contract."
Ye Huizhong laughed boisterously. "Smart answer. You may leave if there's nothing you want to discuss anymore."
Li Caiyi wanted to ask him again about Dai Zhiqiang, but she restrained herself. If Dai Zhiqiang didn't want her to find out, he must have had a reason for that. She just had to believe in him.
"Uhm, what should I do with this?" Li Caiyi showed him the pocket watch, but he waved his hand casually.
"Keep it. Take it as the token of our agreement."
Hearing him saying that didn't sound reassuring for some reason. She felt that he would search for her should anything happen to it. Better to keep it with her all the time.
"I understand. Then we will be taking our leave."
Li Caiyi felt relieved and was about to leave the room when she noticed Meng Renshu hadn't moved an inch from his spot. "Brother Renshu?"
Ignoring her call, Meng Renshu shot Ye Huizhong a polite yet bold gaze. "Pardon me if I sound rude, but Xiaoyi is very dear to me. If something happens to her, I won't stay still."
Li Caiyi was stunned. Just when everything finally ended on a good note, why did he have to say that and aggravate the situation again?
She nervously glanced at Ye Huizhong, but strangely, the older man didn't look offended but confused. "I know Meng and Li families have a long history together, but threatening me won't give you anything."
"It counts as a win as long as Xiaoyi is safe." Meng Renshu was smiling, but that smile didn't reach his eyes and was very cold.
Ye Huizhong didn't comment but withdrew his gaze from him. "There is no need for Young Master Meng to worry. I have no hobby of bullying little girls."
"Glad to hear that. I believe the Chairman of Ye Group is a trustworthy person. We will stop bothering you now. Please excuse us."
Li Caiyi could only stare at Meng Renshu inexplicably while he pushed her gently out of the room.
***
"This place is really great. Especially that lotus pond. Don't you think something sacred could come out of that water anytime?"
Li Caiyi was in no mood to talk about the scenery, so she quickly shot him a questioning look. "Why did you do what you did earlier? You are the one who told me to speak carefully."
"Because you need to speak carefully, but I don't necessarily have to do that."
In other words, he was trying to say that there was no need for a noble person like him to bow his head to Ye Huizhong, while a peasant like her should be careful if she didn't want to lose her head.
Li Caiyi felt unpleasant but had no words to counter that. Eventually, she gave up on arguing and asked something else. "Did you know Ye Huizhong before this?"
"Not personally, but I heard a lot of rumors about him. My father even said that we should be careful around him."
"Yet you speak so boldly towards him."
"It works both ways. I can't carelessly offend him, but he also can't push me around as he pleases. Simply put, we are checking out each other's powers."
"Did you know about Ye Wang since our previous life?"
"Yes. Apparently, many people are using their services, and some recommended them to me. However, I was very skeptical and thus never thought of trying it myself. Besides, I don't trust them. If I need to know something, I just have to use the Meng family's connection."
"No wonder you don't look surprised at all."
Li Caiyi hadn't heard of Ye Huizhong even in her past life. But perhaps that was just proof of how powerful he was.
"As a matter of fact, I was surprised, not because of Ye Huizhong, but some other things."
"What is it?"
Meng Renshu looked deep in thought, and she wondered if he was bothered by something.
They were walking by the side of the pond when they heard footsteps. The sound got louder and closer, making them simultaneously turn their heads.
"Caiyi! So it's really you!"
"Shenqiang!" Li Caiyi exclaimed in a mixture of delight and anxiety.
Meng Renshu's meaningful gaze deepened upon seeing Dai Shenqiang here.
"Oh? You are not alone today." Dai Shenqiang looked pleasantly surprised to see Meng Renshu. "Brother Meng, it's been a while. We met once before."
"Yeah, I remember you are Dai Zhiqiang's little brother."
"That's correct. I'm glad you remember me. Thank you very much for your help last time."
Li Caiyi watched their interaction nervously. There was nothing unusual about Meng Renshu, but she had a bad feeling.
"But why are you here, Shenqiang?"
"Oh? You haven't heard from Caiyi yet?" Dai Shenqiang glanced briefly at her and wondered why she grimaced like that.
"Is this something I need to hear? What about you tell me first?"
"Apparently, my brother is working here. I'm currently waiting for him to come back."
"I see. So Dai Zhiqiang is also a part of this group." Meng Renshu shifted his gaze to Li Caiyi. His voice was icy, and he had those unsmiling eyes again. "No wonder Ye Huizhong seemed very familiar with him."
"Yeah. He is my brother's boss. I heard my brother is his right-hand man or something."
Li Caiyi gulped. She felt like she was sitting on pins and needles as Meng Renshu's gaze became more intense.
"But why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Dai Shenqiang pouted. "If I didn't see you just now, were you planning to leave just like that?"
"No, that's not it." Li Caiyi laughed dryly. "I just wanted to go sightseeing for a bit before coming to check on you."
"Really? I'm so glad. This place is too dreary, but I feel better when you are here."
"How is your father's condition?" Li Caiyi attempted to shift the topic.
"He is still unconscious. The doctor said his condition is stable, but I'm still worried." He answered gloomily.
"That must be hard on you."
Meng Renshu suddenly interrupted by clearing his throat. "She is right. But unfortunately, we can't stay for long, because we have a LOT of things to talk about after this. Isn't that right, Xiaoyi?"
Li Caiyi gulped nervously again. "Y-Yes. I guess so?"
"What? You guys are leaving already? Aww, that's too bad."
"Sorry, Shenqiang. We will let you know if we hear something about your brother," Meng Renshu hugged Li Caiyi's shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "Now, shall we go, Xiaoyi?"
From up close, his smile looked even scarier. "Y-Yes."
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