Li Caiyi wasn't that surprised to hear that.

Of course, Meng Renshu would be here if that man was here as well. But still, seeing a familiar face she abhorred to see greatly dampened her mood to socialise. She contemplated whether she should just leave or not.

"Oh, speaking of the devil. There he is! It's hard not to notice an outstanding man like Young Master Meng. If only my son was half as competent as him."

The old woman sighed, while Li Caiyi furtively glanced in the direction she looked at.

Standing in the middle of the women was Meng Renshu, who looked dazzling in his navy blue suit. Even from afar, Li Caiyi could see how radiant his face was. Granted, he only flashed his business smile like usual, but it was still effective in toppling women's hearts like a domino.

"Aren't you going to walk over to him, Miss Caiyi?"

There was no way she would willingly jump into a lion cage on her own. Ever since Meng Renshu's coming of age party, there was a restless rumor about their relationship for a while. It only subsided when Li Caiyi stopped showing herself to any party for months after that.

In her previous life, Li Chunhua sometimes accompanied Meng Renshu to a few parties and it fueled the rumor about them. A lot of people gave their blessings, but the amount who resented them wasn't few either.

Getting involved with Meng Renshu was a big death flag. Even when she was being extremely careful so as not to provoke anyone, there were still some people like Lu Ruan who thought that Li Caiyi was out to ruin their life. How they could reach their conclusions was a mystery.

'Such a ridiculous farce. I wish nothing more but to not get involved in it.'

Li Caiyi smiled before politely shaking her head. "No, Ma'am. Brother Renshu had already a lot of people accompanying them. I'd prefer to stay here and talk to you more, is that okay with you?"

The woman was happy and flattered to hear that. She even blushed a little because Li Caiyi was a one-of-a-kind beauty. The woman had always yearned to have a daughter like her, so she felt a unique intimacy with this girl she had just met.

"Oh my, of course you are very welcomed here. As you can see, I have nothing better to do, so how can I say no?"

"Then, how about we find a seat first? That way you won't feel tired talking while standing."

"How considerate of you. Your mother must be proud to have a polite and virtuous daughter like you."

If she lingered there longer, it was only a matter of time before Meng Renshu spotted her. Not that it would cause any problem, but she'd better not be seen around him during a big event like this.

Anyway, she talked to a few people and got their business cards. Her goal was already completed, although she couldn't deny that she expected more.

Li Caiyi reminded herself not to be hasty here. She didn't calculate Meng Renshu and that man's appearance, so this was an unforeseen situation. No choice but to improvise.

Times flew by as Li Caiyi immersed herself in her conversation with the kind woman as she waited for the Chairman to finish his speech. She planned to go home after this before anyone noticed her.

At that moment, Shao Yufei's eyes and hers were inadvertently met, and she had a bad feeling about this.

"On this joyous occasion, I'd like to introduce a new, budding talent, who recently gained a name for herself through our company. It is my wish to see this young woman reach her dream with us. To reach the Glorious Days we have strived forward. Allow me to introduce you to Miss Li Caiyi."

The spotlight was shifted to her immediately. She deliberately chose the farthest seat from the stage to hide her presence, but now it was useless when she got the whole audience's attention. Everyone clapped and cheered for her as if this was some kind of an award show.

"Oh dear, what are you doing? Hurry and go to the stage!" The woman excitedly urged her. Li Caiyi gave her a faint smile before reluctantly standing up and walking to the stage.

Speaking in front of these people was never a part of her plan at all, but again a desperate situation called for desperate measures.

Trying to keep a relaxed smile, Li Caiyi received the mike and said a few words before she collapsed from pressure.

"Thank you, Chairman, for the opportunity. I believe I still have many things to learn. My path will be riddled with a lot of difficulties, as I'm young and inexperienced. But with everyone here, I trust that I will experience a lot of things which will further hone my skills, so please watch over me."

Li Caiyi quickly returned the mike and bowed at Chairman, before making her way down the stage. As expected, public speaking was always nerve-wracking. She couldn't get used to it even after a lot of time passed.

The idea of home was never more intriguing. Li Caiyi hastened her pace, thinking that she could finally leave the venue. What she didn't expect was Meng Renshu who waited beside the stairs of the stage with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

He smiled gently at her, and his eyes were full of tenderness and pride for her. "Xiaoyi, congratulations once again on your first book. I'm happy for you."

"Kyaa!! He is so dreamy!"

"Who is that girl? What is her relationship with him?"

"Ugh, they are like a picture standing side by side like that! I can't accept this!"

Li Caiyi could hear the commotion around her. After all that trouble to avoid this walking red flag, Li Caiyi felt powerless now. Nothing went well for her today.

"Brother Renshu, what are you doing?" Li Caiyi said with a small voice as she forced a smile on her face.

"I heard that you will be attending the party tonight, so I especially prepared this bouquet for you. Will you accept it?"

Meng Renshu was like a puppy who wagged his tail, waiting for his master to praise him for his good deed, blissfully unaware of the predicament he put her into. Li Caiyi wanted to smack him for his unnecessary actions.

"Do you have to do it like this? Now everyone is staring at us!"

Only then, did Meng Renshu realise they had become the centre of attention.

"Oh, you are right. Did they make you feel uncomfortable?"

"Haha, of course not. Why would they be?" Li Caiyi replied sarcastically. "Now, if you'll excuse me.."

"Then, it's fine if they talk in the place where they couldn't see, right?"

"Huh? Hey!"

Before she could utter any protest, Meng Renshu had clasped her hand in his and dragged her away from the crowd, inviting a gasp from a few women who were heartbroken seeing this sight. Li Caiyi was baffled by his sudden action.

"Wait, where are you taking me?!"

"You don't like it when they stare at us, so let's continue in the place where no one can see us."

"That's not what I mean!" Li Caiyi tried to pull her hand, but his grip on her was too firm.

"Stop trying to get away. If you keep doing this, you'll ruin the event and gather even more unwanted attention on you. Or is that what you want?"

"Grr! Whose fault do you think that is?!"historical

"Hahaha!"

Meng Renshu laughed while half-dragging her to a secluded balcony on the second stairs. Because everyone was focused on the event downstairs, there weren't many people up here except for the waiters.

He released his hold on her as soon as they stepped out. "Now, you can relax here. I guarantee no one will disturb you here."

When the cool night breeze hit her face, Li Caiyi felt more refreshed. And there was no one there beside them, so she didn't need to be so careful anymore. The night view from the balcony was also very pleasing to the eyes.

'Well, this isn't as bad as I thought. I could use some breaks.' Li Caiyi reluctantly admitted.

"You did great up there. I'm sincerely happy for you."

Li Caiyi turned around to him as he shoved the bouquet of flowers into her face. Meng Renshu leaned down so their faces were only parted with the flowers before he spoke earnestly.

"You have gone a long way. Congratulations for your debut, Xiaoyi."

"Oh."

Their sudden proximity caught her off guard. She could faintly smell a waft of musk scent from him. However, he pulled back before it could linger in her memory.