They used to do it side-by-side like this often when they were children.

At that time, Li Caiyi, a big crybaby, often cried herself to sleep. Meng Renshu, who sometimes dropped by her place, would hold her hand and stay with her until she fell asleep.

He was kind and gentle, and she always felt better after she woke up.

It was one of the precious early memories she had of him.

She remembered she would sometimes pretend to sleep, then when Meng Renshu fell asleep beside her, she would open her eyes and admire his beauty from up close.

Meng Renshu didn't like it when people called him pretty or gawked at him, but the young Li Caiyi couldn't resist it. She could only do that when he was asleep.

The gentleness in his eyes right now was the same as back then when he patiently coaxed her to sleep like a beautiful and pure angel.

It happened so long ago that he probably forgot about it, but Li Caiyi remembered it as clear as day.

Gazing back at him, she slowly raised herself. "I understand; you can keep lying down like that. Searching for me must have exhausted you. It would be best if you lay down properly. I will sit in the chair instead."

No response from him as he only watched her draw a clear line between them again.

Meng Renshu felt gloomy, but he could do nothing about it. He should feel grateful that she didn't scold him outrightly like she usually did after the stunt he pulled.

Li Caiyi pulled a chair, so she didn't need to communicate loudly before sitting on it. "I want to thank you properly for saving me. But Brother Renshu, how did you find me?"

After drawing a clear line, she used formal speech toward him next?

The reason she didn't push him back and slapped him across the face was perhaps because of what she wanted to talk about too.

Meng Renshu smiled wryly. "You fell unconscious on the side street when I found you. I didn't want to risk your safety by bringing you to the hospital or your house since Hu Jian had left his mark there. So I brought you here."

"Thank you for your consideration. However, I think I should return as soon as possible."

"So soon? You couldn't even walk properly in your current condition. What if something were to happen again? This place would be the safest place for you."

"Yes. But I can't stay here being protected by you while Dai Zhiqiang was still fighting alone out there. Uncle—I mean, his father's whereabouts were also unknown."

Meng Renshu's face hardened slightly, seeing she was still putting Dai Zhiqiang above her safety after everything she had gone through. "Xiaoyi, even if something were to happen, that is his own matter to take care of. You don't need to unnecessarily attract unwanted danger by getting involved in a shady matter like this."

Huang Zhen once also mentioned the same thing. Was she really that much of a busybody? Her actions came naturally from her desire to help her beloved, so she didn't see anything strange with it.

Moreover, she seemed to realize something from his remark just now.

"Brother Renshu, you didn't seem surprised when I mentioned Dai Zhiqiang's father. It couldn't be that you were loitering around the Industrial City because you already knew what happened?"

Meng Renshu shifted his position, so he lay down on his side with his whole body turned her way. "The security company I hired to guard you informed me swiftly when they lost contact with the men charged with your safety. I searched for you everywhere but couldn't find you. Then, I discovered that you were missing starting from your visit to Dai Zhiqiang's father."

Li Caiyi raised her brows in astonishment. If there was another person who could fill Meng Renshu in about the whole situation, only one person came to her mind.

It just happened that this person was also in a terrible term with Meng Renshu, that it never crossed her mind that they would cooperate with each other.

"Did you contact Zhiqiang?"

He laughed dryly. "What other choices do I have? Thanks to the information I got from him, I could get to you faster."

Li Caiyi had a bad feeling about this. "So Zhiqiang already knew where I was even without that thing?"

"That thing?" Meng Renshu looked at her curiously, and she quickly covered her mouth.

"Nothing, I was just speaking nonsense. More importantly, I still found it surprising that he would tell you readily. Was he also around when you got to the Industrial City?"

"No. He asked me to go save you in his stead. Because he had some other urgent issues to be settled. I'm pretty sure it concerns his father."

Meng Renshu tried to put it in a way that wouldn't hurt her feelings as much as possible. But it turned out he didn't need to worry about her.

Li Caiyi stood up abruptly and immediately staggered.

"Xiaoyi!" Meng Renshu's feet were already half touching the floor when she grabbed the chair to steady herself.

"I'm fine. I just stumbled when I got dizzy."

"See? What can you possibly do in your current situation? In the first place, there is no reason for you to put yourself in danger like this since Hu Jiang is actually only after Dai Zhiqiang, right? I'm sure even he doesn't want to see you get hurt like this."

What Meng Renshu said was reasonable. Even if she put forward her best effort, in the end, the only thing she did was stupidly fall into Huang Zhen's trap and possibly make Dai Zhiqiang's position more difficult. Considering how he even had to rely on Meng Renshu to rescue her.

The best thing she could do for him now was to stay put and not create more trouble for him.

"You are right. I shouldn't meddle in his business more than this. He must feel troubled because of my thoughtlessness."

"I didn't mean to invalidate your effort. You have the best intention in mind, but I don't want you to risk yourself like that. As your boyfriend, shouldn't he also think the same?" Meng Renshu quickly added when he noticed her dejected expression.

"I understand. I wasn't offended or anything. It just pained me when the only thing I could do was watch him shoulder everything by himself again."

Meng Renshu felt precisely the same towards her. Sadly, she was too focused on Dai Zhiqiang to notice that, making him slightly unhappy and annoyed.historical

"You should lay down and rest if you want to recover faster. I already explained to Auntie and Junjie about this. Don't worry; I didn't tell them you were kidnapped."

"So what did you tell them?"

Meng Renshu seemed to avoid looking at her for the first time since they talked again. "Just a random excuse, nothing to be concerned about. I will leave and let you rest more."

Meng Renshu stood up from the bed but was held back by Li Caiyi when she spoke. "Wait. I have a favor to ask you, Brother Renshu."

"A favor?"

Li Caiyi looked down hesitantly before continuing, "I have inconvenienced you a lot, but do you think I can borrow your phone? My phone is missing. I want to call Zhiqiang and tell him I'm safe and sound, so he need not worry about me."