Li Caiyi didn't know how to react for a good several seconds. Gasps of shocks from all directions were all the confirmation she needed.

Meng Renshu got her good this time.

"Lies! That's a lie!"

The curly-haired girl was the first one to react. She had an aggrieved and wronged expression, mixed with disbelief and rage at the same time. She glared murderously at Li Caiyi as if doing that would magically make her disappear from this world.

Li Caiyi facepalmed inwardly, cursing her rotten luck for the nth time that day. She pushed Meng Renshu's hand from her shoulder and glared subtly at him, but it only made him grin even wider. She thought he was very hateful.

"Brother Renshu, why are you saying it in a way people will misunderstand? You don't have to say that just to make these girls give up on you. That's not very gentlemanly of you."

"What is there to be misunderstood about when the whole school already knows the fact that I'm pursuing you? Some people are just too delusional to accept the truth."

Meng Renshu's smile didn't falter when spouting those knife-like words. The girls who cornered Li Caiyi earlier hung their heads in shame, feeling humiliated and aggrieved, but they couldn't say anything against him.

Li Caiyi felt anything she said would be a boomerang for her, so she clamped her mouth shut.

"Lies.. Senior Meng, that can't be true, right?" The curly-haired girl's voice trembled. Renshu's words seemed to cause heavy damage to her. Her face appeared like the entire world had betrayed her, and Li Caiyi grimaced at the extent of this girl's admiration–or rather, obsession towards Meng Renshu.

"What's the point of me lying? You know nothing about me, and I don't have any obligation to tell you anything." Meng Renshu turned to the curly-haired girl with a chilly expression. There was no trace of a smile, as though he didn't even want to look at her anymore.

He walked closer to the girl and stood before her, letting his tall body tower over her.

"Since Xiaoyi is fine, I'll let you go now. Remember, there is no next time. Don't cross your line even more than this, or face the consequences."

The curly-haired girl's disappointed face immediately changed into a frightened one. She gritted her teeth before turning and running away from there. That girl seemed to be the group leader since the others immediately ran after her.

In the blink of an eye, there were only Meng Renshu and Li Caiyi who had been left behind.

"Are you really okay? Did they do anything to you?" Meng Renshu asked with genuine concern in his tone this time.

"I'm fine," Li Caiyi answered reluctantly. "Let me say this. I won't say thank you because this incident happened because of you in the first place."

"En. You don't have to thank me. I'm just glad I arrived on time." Meng Renshu reached out to cup Li Caiyi's face between his hands to check on her face closer. "There is no wound or swell, thank god."

Li Caiyi jumped in surprise, especially when he pushed his face so close to hers, to the point she could see a lot of eyelashes framing his tranquil eyes. She pushed him away forcefully when he regained her senses.

"What are you doing?! Can you stop invading my private space?" Li Caiyi hissed angrily.historical

Meng Renshu raised both of his hands in the air while chuckling. "I just want to check. Sorry about that."

"And what is that all about earlier? Why do you have to say that in front of them?!"

"I didn't tell any lies. It's true I have confessed to you and am currently pursuing you," Meng Renshu grinned.

"Don't you know doing that will only aggravate the situation? Women being jealous is the scariest. If you defend me, they will only come at me more violently than before."

"They won't dare to do that. Not after I personally threaten them." Meng Renshu sighed. "I didn't expect you to thank me, but I certainly wasn't expecting a scolding, either."

"Stop acting so pitifully. I know you did that on purpose."

"Hm, so you have found out? I thought this trick would still work at least a few more times."

Li Caiyi rolled her eyes and didn't have more patience to deal with him anymore. "I'll go now."

"Hey, hey. Since we are here, shall we talk for a bit?"

"No, thank you. I'm in a hurry right now." She refused almost immediately.

"You are worried about Junjie, right?"

Li Caiyi's steps halted hearing that. She turned back with a confused expression as she stared at Meng Renshu. "How do you know that?"

"I'm the closest person to Junjie, aside from his family. I can confidently say that I probably know him better than you."

Li Caiyi squinted her eyes suspiciously. "What are you trying to say? Don't beat around the bush and just say it directly."

"Tell me what happened to Junjie. I noticed he had been behaving strangely these days, and I wanted to know what had happened. Knowing him, this must have something to do with your family."

Meng Renshu said that in a severe tone, which took Li Caiyi aback. It didn't appear like he was playing around this time, so she couldn't help but be curious.

"Why do you want to know? I'm sorry to say, but this is our family's internal problem, even if that's the case. No matter how close you are to our family, this is not where you should poke your nose into."

Meng Renshu fell into silence, and a gust of wind blew past them. It messed up his hair and covered his face, but for some reason, Li Caiyi could still feel the sense of estrangement in his eyes for a second. There was also something inexplicable in the way he looked at her.

It gave Li Caiyi a shudder on her back.

However, that expression left his face when the wind stopped blowing.

Meng Renshu flashed her his usual smile before saying, "People misunderstand Junjie a lot, but he is pretty easy to read once you get to know him. And the way he is now, I can tell he is preparing to do something that is possibly big."

He changed gear so abruptly that Li Caiyi was left dumbfounded. "Huh?"

"I have only ever seen Li Junjie make that expression once, and that one was a long time ago before he shut himself up. I'm afraid a drastic change will happen once again if I let him be, so can you tell me what happened to him? Who knows, I'm probably the one who can help him now."

A drastic change? Did he perhaps talk about her brother's 5th birthday?

Li Junjie did say something about Meng Renshu helping him make some stuff up to trick everyone that day. What he said was reasonable as well, since his words would affect Li Jirong to some extent, so his help would be very appreciated.

Li Caiyi contemplated a bit, weighing down the pros and cons before finally making up her mind.