"Stop staring at me, or I'll gouge your eyes out."

"Cough!"

Right after those threatening words left Li Caiyi's mouth uncontrollably, Su Suyin, who was choking on her soup, coughed violently.

"Mom!" Li Chunhua quickly fetched a glass of water and gave it to her, and after a while, her cough subsided. Nevertheless, she gave Li Caiyi a reprimanding look.

"Xiaoyi, what kind of attitude have you shown to Renshu? That's really rude of you!"

Li Caiyi grimaced. Honestly, she really didn't mean to say that out loud. She just couldn't stand his intense gaze on her anymore. It felt like he was appraising her, and it offended her.historical

"I'm sorry, Mother. I meant it as a joke, but I guessed it came out differently."

"Jokes or not, the one you should apologize to is Renshu, not me. Apologize to him this instant!"

When Li Jirong was no longer here, Su Suyin feared no one and scolded her kids accordingly. Pressured by her urging glare, Li Caiyi could only resign herself.

"Brother Renshu, I'm sorry. I was just joking. Please don't put it into the heart."

"Xiaoyi, of course, I know you are only joking. Don't worry about it." Meng Renshu smiled awkwardly and glanced at Su Suyin and Li Caiyi alternately, as though he was conflicted about something.

Li Caiyi's brows furrowed at his strange action, while Su Suyin sensed something was amiss. In her eyes, Li Caiyi was a calm and reasonable kid, so she couldn't believe that child would say something like that without reason.

"Renshu, did you have a fight with Xiaoyi?" Su Suyin asked carefully.

Before Li Caiyi could reply, Meng Renshu had gotten ahead of her.

"Auntie.. It's really not a fight, but I'm afraid..." Meng Renshu blinked his eyes a few times sadly, which made him look pitiful. He eyed Li Caiyi reluctantly before averting his eyes.

No one would think nothing had happened when he acted like that. Li Caiyi was confident that Meng Renshu was up to something again when Su Suyin coaxed him gently.

"You can tell Auntie everything, Renshu. I promised I would not scold her without listening to her side of the story too."

Su Suyin squinted her eyes at Li Caiyi, and the latter knew her mother had completely misunderstood the whole situation.

"Mother, there is nothing happened—"

"Xiaoyi, I'm asking Renshu right now. I will talk to you after this."

There was nothing she could say when her mother put it like that. Seeing his chance, Meng Renshu spoke again in a dejected manner.

"Auntie, please don't blame her. I also don't know why Xiaoyi behaved like this to me in the last few days. We grew up together, and I thought we would always have a close relationship. But I guess it's impossible after all, considering our age. Our relationship will be bound to estrange."

Meng Renshu paused before sighing dramatically.

"It's just sad that she won't look at me the same way she used to anymore. However, if there is a reason for that, I want to know."

"Have you done talking?" Li Caiyi couldn't believe what she had just heard. He clearly knew why she behaved this way, but the way he said it indirectly implied that Li Caiyi was the core of the problem.

'This man should just go into the entertainment industry and become an actor with his acting!'

"Xiaoyi! Sit down!" Su Suyin reprimanded sternly this time. Her face expressed displeasure all over. "Renshu has done so much for you and our family. No matter what kind of problem transpired between you two, shouldn't you at least consider that?"

Li Caiyi groaned inwardly. She tried to speak, but Su Suyin raised her hand, signalling she didn't want to hear her excuses.

"No more of this. If there is a problem between you two, you should talk this out between yourself." Su Suyin shifted her gaze to Meng Renshu, and it was considerably softer than when she talked to Li Caiyi.

"Renshu, please don't mind it. You know Xiaoyi is not a willful child. I believe she must have a reason for this."

Li Caiyi swore she could see the glint of victory in Meng Renshu's eyes before he raised his head again.

"Auntie, I believe so too. If only I could have some time to talk to her, I would know what kind of misunderstanding Xiaoyi has about me."

"Of course, then how about we leave you two alone after the dinner. I'm sure both of you have a lot to talk about."

"Mother!" Li Caiyi rose from her seat. She couldn't be more unwilling to spend time alone with Meng Renshu in the same room.

Su Suyin, who knew nothing about their circumstances, couldn't understand her daughter's fluster and looked at her sharply.

"I will hear no rejection or excuses from you anymore, Xiaoyi. Remember what I said before; you shouldn't take Renshu's kindness for granted. He genuinely wants to make up with you, so at least hear him out before you start throwing a tantrum."

Li Caiyi really wanted to scream in frustration, but looking at the blaze in Su Suyin's eyes, she knew there was no way out of this.

That was how Li Caiyi and Meng Renshu ended up in the current situation. They moved to the study room while everyone left to continue their own activities.

Li Chunhua glanced worriedly at Li Caiyi, but she was helplessly dragged away under Li Junjie's urging.

Li Caiyi watched how the person in front of her calmly sat while sipping warm tea that Su Suyin prepared for them without any care for her discomfort.

'I knew it. He is really a cunning bastard deep inside. All those hesitation and gloominess I saw before from him were just an illusion. I must be a fool to think he feels slightly bad for whatever happened to me in the past,' Li Caiyi thought.

Her eyes were glued to his elegant form as he put the cup down and folded his legs in a relaxed manner.

"We finally have the space and time for ourselves."

Li Caiyi flinched. A sense of nervousness hit her when she realized once again that the one sitting in front of him wasn't the same teenager Meng Renshu she had faced a few times before this.

She could feel the difference in how he stared sharply at her, like measuring her worth from up to down. It sent shivers all over her body.

Nevertheless, Li Caiyi refused to show weakness in front of him. She wasn't the same weak woman who could only weep and lament her fate anymore.

"It's an honor that someone as capable as you will even resort to this kind of trick to have some time alone with me. What kind of wind brings this grace to me?" Li Caiyi said mockingly, without bothering to hide her hostility.