There was a heavy silence in the room as they were unsure of what to say. Li Caiyi kept her gaze on the blanket so she wouldn't need to make eye contact with her husband.

Meng Renshu cleared his throat awkwardly before saying, "Xiaoyi, I want to tell you I probably have to go on a business trip after this. It will take for about two months before I come back."

Li Caiyi was stunned at first but gradually calmed down. Going on a business trip was normal for a busy businessman like him, but with this timing, she couldn't help but think that he did this to avoid her. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

p "I understand. Be careful on your way."

Again, there was a brief silence before he continued, "Thank you for preparing the hangover soup and medicine for me."

Before she went to sleep last night, she prepared some soup and medicine for him and instructed the maids to serve it to him first thing in the morning. It seemed he recovered thanks to that.

"It's no problem at all. You should be more careful when drinking next time."

"Yes, sorry for startling you. And also..." Meng Renshu's words trailed off, "...about what happened last night, I'm very sorry, Xiaoyi. It's all my fault."

Li Caiyi clenched the blanket tightly while trying her hardest not to break down. It seemed this topic was unavoidable, no matter what. She didn't have any choice but to face it.

"It was because you were drunk, Brother Renshu. Let's just forget it ever happened." Li Caiyi finished her words without taking a breath because she wanted this conversation to end as soon as possible.

"What?" Meng Renshu exclaimed in disbelief. "You want me to forget what happened last night?"

"It was a mistake. You don't have to concern yourself with it."

"How can you say that? I was drunk last night, and it was my mistake to force myself on you first, but I thought we were on the same page about this. Or I was just dreaming about it?" Meng Renshu's tone dropped several degrees colder, showing that he was fairly angry with her.

Judging from his response, she understood now that Meng Renshu probably didn't have a clear recollection of what had happened last night. Of course, he must have also forgotten about what he said before drifting to sleep.

Li Caiyi couldn't think straight whenever she recalled how he muttered Li Chunhua's name in his sleep after they had done the deed. It was unbearable for her, so she blurted out, "None of us wish for it to happen, so let's just pretend nothing happens and move on, okay? Please, I beg you."

"Do you hate it that much?"historical

Li Caiyi gritted her teeth. "I neither like nor dislike it. It was just a mistake, that's all."

"Hahaha." Meng Renshu laughed drily. "I see, so that's how you thought about it."

She refused to talk to him anymore, so she forced herself to stand up, even though her body was still sore. "I will go to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for you, Brother Renshu."

"Wait, we haven't finished talking yet." Meng Renshu grabbed her shoulder to hold her back, and it felt like someone had electrocuted her whole body. When she recalled the event that happened last night, only to find out that he only saw her as her sister, it made her repulsed, and her skin crawled.

Li Caiyi's body moved before she could stop it. She slapped his hand harshly and even took a few steps away from him.

"D-don't touch me..." Li Caiyi covered the place he had just touched and shrunken in her place, looking like a frightened rabbit.

Meng Renshu was shocked to receive a vehement rejection from her. His shock was slowly replaced with all sorts of emotions, like hurt, pain, anger, and unfairness. He clenched his fist tightly as his face hardened into a frosty look.

"Fine. Do as you wish."

That was the last word he said before he stormed out of the room. He didn't stop to wait for her to send him off like usual but left to work just like that.

Li Caiyi was left alone in her room.

She meant to deal with this in a better way, but she couldn't do it after all. No matter how low her self-esteem was, she couldn't just smile and accept it when her husband took her while thinking about her sister in his mind. That was just wrong in so many ways.

"It should be okay. It wouldn't hurt me as long as I pretend nothing happened." Li Caiyi muttered, trying to convince herself repeatedly.

She didn't notice then that the crack in their marriage only continued to widen after that.

***

Li Caiyi could faintly hear the sound of people talking in the distance. The sound gradually grew closer and closer until she could clearly understand what they were talking about.

"Should I bring her to the hospital, after all?"

"Student Meng, she is fine. You should calm down a little and return to your classroom now."

"But she still hasn't regained her consciousness since morning. How could she be fine?"

"Look here. I'm as worried as you are, but a person losing consciousness for two hours is still considered normal. Let's wait for another hour to see what happens first."

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a moving fan on the familiar ceiling. She was confused and disoriented at first, but she slowly remembered what had happened a moment before she passed out after a few seconds.

'What a terrible dream. It ruined my mood and motivation now.' Li Caiyi thought inwardly when she heard the relief voice of Meng Renshu from beside her.

"Xiaoyi, you finally regained your consciousness!"

He trudged over to her side and held her hand in his. "How are you feeling? Did you feel hurt somewhere?"

Li Caiyi shifted her head to the side to take a better look at Meng Renshu's face. His current face overlapped with Meng Renshu's shocked and hurt expression from her previous life, giving her mixed feelings.

Would everything be different if she had just told him truthfully what had happened on their first night? That he was mistaking her for Li Chunhua when he did that with her?

At that time, Li Caiyi was too afraid to hear his answer, so she shut herself in a hole and blocked everything from hurting her.

The failure of their marriage wasn't caused by Meng Renshu alone but also her fault. This was the reason Li Caiyi couldn't blame him completely.