Dai Shenqiang glanced at the merry atmosphere in the room before slowly closing the ward's door behind him. Whether or not she did it intentionally, he was grateful Li Caiyi could distract his father for some time.

Dai Shenqiang had to report to his brother now that he had time to do that. Li Caiyi's arrival was kind of unexpected, though. He was also curious how she knew where his father was hospitalized since he didn't remember telling her that.

"Did she hear that from Brother?"

He eventually shook his head to get rid of that thought. This wasn't the time to think about that.

Dai Shenqiang took out his phone from his pocket and checked on his inbox. Sure enough, there were lots of messages and missed calls from Li Caiyi. It seemed they really made her worry this time. He kind of felt bad for that.

Dai Shenqiang scrolled down his phone screen and opened the last message he received from his brother last night.

[Dai Zhiqiang: I will be home later than usual tonight. Don't wait for me, and sleep first.]

That was what he said, and it wasn't the first time he had done this. Dai Shenqiang went to sleep first when he got a call in the middle of the night about his father's sudden deteriorating health. He immediately called Dai Zhiqiang several times, but he didn't pick up, so he went to the hospital by himself.

In the end, he kind of forgot about it since he was busy worrying and looking after his father until morning.

Later, he was awakened by the sound of door-knocking, only to find Li Caiyi and the other guy standing beyond it.

"Come to think of it, isn't that guy the one I meet at Brother's school gate the while back? I didn't expect him to know my brother as well."historical

Dai Shenqiang honestly didn't feel comfortable being around that guy. It felt like he was constantly judging Dai Shenqiang with his stare, but that was probably his imagination since he seemed to be a pretty nice guy when he introduced himself to his father.

Dai Shenqiang dialed his brother's phone number and put the phone on his ear, but the call didn't even connect. It looked like his phone was dead or something.

"Strange. Brother had never gone without informing me where he was," Dai Shenqiang mumbled to himself before sending his brother a text, telling him to contact him as soon as he saw the text.

After everything was done, Dai Shenqiang returned to the room. His steps came to a halt when he saw Meng Renshu standing in front of the room with his back leaned against the wall.

As a man, Dai Shenqiang had to admit that Meng Renshu had an other-worldly look with that androgynous beauty. If not for his tall body and broad shoulders, Dai Shenqiang probably would have thought he was a girl with short hair.

'But why did he just stand there doing nothing? Did he just come back from the toilet?' Dai Shenqiang thought inwardly before walking over to him with a friendly smile.

"Hello. Can I call you Big Brother Meng? We have met before, aren't we?"

Meng Renshu turned his head and smiled back. "Yes, I remember you. At that time, I still hadn't been acquainted with your brother yet. It's such a coincidence to be able to meet you again."

"Oh, yes, it is. Why don't you come in, Big Brother Meng? Father will be pleased to talk with you more."

"Yes, I will do that after a while because there is something I want to talk to you about first. Do you mind if you give me a bit of your time?"

"With me?" Dai Shenqiang pointed at himself in confusion. "I don't mind, as long as I can answer it."

"Thanks. I want to know if you know where your brother is right now? I actually came here because I thought he would be here."

Dai Shenqiang had expected this question, so it did not surprise him at all.

"Honestly, my brother had gone MIA ever since last night. He said he would come home late, but I have been trying to get through to him for some time, to no avail."

Meng Renshu put his finger on his chin as he fell deep into thought. "Was he not informed about your father's condition?"

"That's what I'm concerned about, actually. My brother and I gave both of our numbers so the hospital could call us if something happened to our father. Usually, big brother would get the first notification, then later, he would relay the message to me. However, the hospital called me directly last night because they couldn't reach my brother." Dai Shenqiang explained with a crease of worry on his brows.

"Hmm, I see. Did he say anything about why he would come home late?"

"Oh, my brother works in a construction site and a few other odd jobs, so he often comes back late. That's why I didn't think too much of it at first. But it has been hours since that, yet no word from him. This is the first time this ever happened."

Meng Renshu nodded his head before giving the younger teen a reassuring pat on his shoulder. "Your big brother is a responsible and smart person. I'm sure he will be fine. Do you know where your brother is working? I might need to visit his workplace since I'm sure you already have your hands full with your father's matter."

Dai Shenqiang was stunned by how considerate this person was being. Unlike his first impression, he seemed to be a nice guy.

He was relieved and grateful for Meng Renshu's concern since he was indeed in a bind, as he said. He couldn't leave his father behind right now, so having one person who understood the situation helping him would be very appreciated.

"Thank you, Big Brother Meng. I might have to inconvenience you with this one. My brother tends to act recklessly sometimes, so please check him for me." Dai Shenqiang said while slightly bowing his head before telling the name of Dai Zhiqiang's workplace.

Meng Renshu confirmed the information with a nod and chuckled after looking at Dai Shenqiang's hesitant face. "Hey, don't worry about unnecessary things. You can leave this to me, but there is just something I want you to help me with."

"Yes, what is it?"

Meng Renshu leaned in closer and said in a low voice. "Can you please not tell Xiaoyi about this? You saw how she was earlier. She is a worrywart, and I'm afraid this news would stress her too much. I want to take care of this matter as quietly as possible if I can."

Dai Shenqiang recalled Li Caiyi's expression when they first met today. She certainly looked like she was going to cry anytime. Li Caiyi had helped their family a lot, so Dai Shenqiang also didn't want to upset her if he could help it.

"I understand, then I shall tell him not to worry then." Dai Shenqiang nodded in agreement.

Meng Renshu smiled in relief. "Thanks. I will stay here to call someone, so you can go in first."

"I see, then we will wait for you, Big Brother Meng," Dai Shenqiang said before entering the room first.

After his figure disappeared beyond the ward's door, the smile on Meng Renshu's face gradually faded and was replaced with a grim look. Wasting no more time, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello? I need your help to investigate something..."