"A guest?" Li Caiyi echoed his words in confusion. She didn't remember inviting anyone over beside Meng Renshu.
"He said his name is Shao Jingfei."
Li Caiyi was astonished to hear that name. Why would Shao Jingfei come to visit her so suddenly? He had never visited her before, even for their brainstorming session. They always met up in his cafe or school.
Then, she recalled his weird phone call earlier. A sense of foreboding grew within her. It couldn't be that his visit was related somehow to Dai Zhiqiang, right?
Li Caiyi shook her head to brush off the thought.
Ever since she fell sick, she became too paranoid and tended to overthink. Perhaps Shao Jingfei just had some urgent business with her regarding their work.
"Alright, Brother. Please tell him to wait. I'm going down in a bit."
Li Junjie simply nodded before leaving the room.
Meng Renshu looked at her worriedly. "Did you not tell him you are sick and can't work for some time? It would be best if you told him to give you a few days off. You need to rest some more."
"No, it's fine." Li Caiyi grabbed her cardigan and wore it. "This is the first time he has come personally to my house. This is probably an urgent matter."
Meng Renshu couldn't say anything else. "Shall I wait for you here, then?"
Li Caiyi mulled over it for a moment. "Brother Renshu, you should come back another day. I have already said what I wanted to tell you. I bet you need time to digest everything too."
"Are you chasing me out after you don't have any use for me anymore?" He smiled teasingly.
"No, it's not like that. I could tell you have a lot of things in mind. Even though you already agreed to help me, I know you care for your family a lot. You probably still have mixed feelings about it. Take your time to think about it more carefully. This is a big decision to make."
Meng Renshu's smile faded. He tried not to show his hesitation, but he should have known Li Caiyi wouldn't miss it. They knew each other too well.
"Alright. I doubt my answer will change, but you are right. I do need some time for myself for now."
Li Caiyi nodded while giving him a sympathetic look. "I understand. Even if you change your mind, I won't blame you for it."
"Thank you," Meng Renshu smiled.
***
They both went downstairs together. Li Caiyi saw Shao Jingfei waiting in the living room. For some reason, he looked nervous and restless. She called out to him.
"It's rare to see you come to my house like this, Jingfei."
"Caiyi, there you are." Shao Jingfei stood up from his seat. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Meng Renshu following behind her. "Senior Meng, you are here too."
Meng Renshu flashed his polite smile before answering. "I just came here to visit Xiaoyi, since she has been feeling under the weather lately. But I was about to go home now. Don't let me bother you two."
"Caiyi, are you sick?" Shao Jingfei shifted his gaze to her in surprise.
"Yes, but I'm mostly okay now."
"But still, you need to be careful. Don't forget to eat the fruits and tonics I brought earlier, alright?" Meng Renshu said attentively. "Make sure to stay warm too, and don't overwork yourself."
"En. Thank you very much for today, Brother Renshu." Li Caiyi smiled gratefully at him.
Shao Jingfei, who witnessed this view, looked even more surprised. He knew he shouldn't butt in other people's business, but he was curious about what happened to Li Caiyi and Dai Zhiqiang.
The former was sick and tended to by her childhood friend. Meanwhile, the boyfriend clearly lied about being busy with work and went out with another girl.
His gossip sense was tingling. Just what happened between this couple?!
"Then, I will leave now. Have fun, you two," Meng Renshu waved at them before walking out of the house.
"Jingfei, please sit down. Is something urgent happening? You even go so far as to visit me personally. Don't tell me something has happened in the company regarding my book?"
"Oh no. I didn't come here to talk about work, actually," Shao Jingfei scratched his cheeks awkwardly. He didn't know where to start with this, but his conscience felt hurt if he just sat around and pretended to know nothing.
"Thank goodness," Li Caiyi sighed in relief. Her book sale was her only source of income and her lifeline. It would be tough for her to live alone if something happened to it. "Then, did you have something else to tell me?"
"No…I mean, yes! Eh, maybe?" Shao Jingfei was so flustered he couldn't answer coherently.
Li Caiyi's brows raised in confusion. "It seems you do have something to tell me. Well, just say it then."
Shao Jingfei broke out in sweats to the point his nape felt cold. Li Caiyi gazes at him unsuspectingly, waiting for him to answer. It made him genuinely feel bad for her.
"You know, Caiyi. There is something I think you need to know. But please take this with grains of salt, okay? I probably just have a terrible misunderstanding about this."
"Jingfei, it's not like you to be so hesitant. Now you make me curious. What is this that I need to know?"
Shao Jingfei took a deep breath before saying, "I saw Dai Zhiqiang the other day. You said he is busy with work and can't get in touch with you. But he didn't look busy when I saw him. And also…."
Li Caiyi's heart sank the moment he mentioned Dai Zhiqiang. And the way he trailed off his words just heightened the suspense. Her heart beat so fast. "Also, what?"
"I saw him with another girl. They looked so close to each other too. Does he have female siblings or relatives?"
Li Caiyi felt like the ground was cracked open beneath her and swallowed her whole. The news was so shocking she forgot to breathe momentarily.
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