"I'm talking about my theory before. If I can sleep peacefully again with you by my side, it should have been enough to prove my theory, right?"

Li Caiyi couldn't react immediately when she heard that. It felt like some flies were buzzing beside her ears. She must have heard something wrong just now.

"What did you just say?"

Meng Renshu picked himself up before going around the table that separated them and sat down beside Li Caiyi. His gaze was firm and deep. "Exactly as I said. I want you to accompany me to sleep so I can prove my theory."

Li Caiyi was uncomfortable with the distance between them, so she discreetly scooted away from him. "That's your idea? Are you crazy?"

Meng Renshu chuckled. "Ouch. That's more hurtful than I thought."

"It's because you said nonsense like that. Why do I have to do that?" Li Caiyi asked him.

Meng Renshu just smiled before answering. "If you do me this favor, then I'll forget the fact that you have been hiding crucial information from your family all this time."

Li Caiyi tilted her head in confusion. However, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive when she saw his smile, which didn't seem like a smile at all.

"What do you mean? What did I hide from my family?"

"I'm talking about Dai Shenqiang and Dai Zhiqiang."

Li Caiyi tried hard to maintain her composure as she asked him again, "Why are you suddenly mentioning them?"

Instead of answering, Meng Renshu's gaze fell on Li Caiyi's hair, which fell from the knot and cascaded through her shoulder. He was curious about how smooth it would be, so he subconsciously reached out his hand and twirled them with his finger. Unbeknownst to him, his action caused Li Caiyi to be petrified in her place.

"I know there is something odd when I see you in that place with someone else, but I didn't expect you to be so bold, charging into the enemy den with no care for your safety." Meng Renshu relished the soft feeling of Li Caiyi's hair on his finger as he spoke, "The student who was with you that day, he is Dai Shenqiang's brother, right? The one whom you saved from those loan sharks the other day."

Li Caiyi flinched when she heard that. Before Meng Renshu and his men came, the three of them had made a plausible explanation for the whole situation, so there shouldn't be any gap in their testimonies. Both she and Dai Zhiqiang didn't tell Li Chunhua anything about why those people targeted her, but what if Li Chunhua figured it out by herself and told Meng Renshu about it?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Li Caiyi said carefully.

"You don't have to be so tense. I didn't purposefully do a background check on your friend or anything; it's just the name Dai Shenqiang appeared when the police questioned those loan sharks. I came to know about it when I was dealing with them."

That explanation did not comfort Li Caiyi at all. Because judging by the situation, it seemed futile to continue hiding it for longer. She felt like she was sitting on pins and needles as Meng Renshu looked at her with those calm but dark eyes.

"Are you threatening me right now?" Li Caiyi asked vigilantly.

"Xiaoyi, I don't want to fight with you anymore. Can you please help me just this once?" Meng Renshu said with a pleading gaze.

"You said that, but you always use this forceful method whenever things don't go your way. How can I feel at ease knowing you will always have your way to bend my actions according to your will?"

Meng Renshu's fingers, which caressed her hair until a moment ago, stopped moving. He stared at Li Caiyi deeply before moving closer.

"What? What are you going to do?" Li Caiyi was alarmed, so she scooted away from him with both arms raised in front of her body, ready to attack or defend if needed. She glanced at the door, and it seemed she could get away if she moved fast enough.

However, before she could do anything, her path was blocked with a long arm that suddenly lunged past her to grab the couch's armrest. Meng Renshu's action completely entrapped her between him and the handrest pressed against her back.

Li Caiyi's body turned cold and hot alternately at lightning speed. The distance between them was so close that if anyone came into this room at this moment, they might think both of them were doing something indecent.historical

"Hey, don't come any closer, or I'll scream!" Li Caiyi threatened him, but her voice didn't sound convincing, considering her nervousness. She tried to push him back, but he just wouldn't budge. He looked lean and harmless, but in the end, she still couldn't win against him in terms of power.

Li Caiyi's heart beat furiously in her chest as a particular memory flashed through her mind in a split second, and it made her feel suffocated to the point she might cry any second.

She was about to resist with full power while cursing him out when she heard Meng Renshu whisper, "Sshh, don't move. We are being watched."

Li Caiyi immediately stopped pushing him and looked at him dumbly. "Huh?"

"It must be someone my mother sent to bring us refreshment. Play along with me for a bit."

"Huh?" Li Caiyi still hadn't completely woken up from her confusion when Meng Renshu pulled her into his embrace.

Li Caiyi: "!!!"

"Don't resist. It will end soon. Please bear with me for a while." Meng Renshu said in a low voice while gently patting her back with his hand to calm her down, but there was just no way Li Caiyi could stay calm in this situation!

What was exactly going on here?!

His breath tickled her neck as they snuggled together, and she could feel his warmth transferred past his shirt to her bare arms. Pinewood smell which always reminded her of Meng Renshu, enveloped her like a blanket, and there was that accelerating heartbeat sound again.

After what felt like the longest few seconds in Li Caiyi's life, Meng Renshu finally let go of her. Li Caiyi finally regained her wits together, so she glared at him, demanding an explanation.

"Okay, what was all that? You said we are being watched?"

Meng Renshu sighed in exasperation as he messed up his hair again. "It must be someone my mother sent to spy on us."