"Xiaoyi, you had agreed to do this for me. Because we're childhood friends, remember? Why are you retracting that statement now?" Meng Renshu asked with a stiff face.

"As I said, it's not like I plan this to happen. Mother is the one who decided that."

"Then, it should be okay if I convinced Auntie to let you come with me, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't think she will like that."

"Are you truly don't mind with this at all?" Meng Renshu asked in frustration.

Li Caiyi tilted her head in confusion. "It's not like it would make any difference if I show up as your partner or regular attendee, so wouldn't it be weirder if I mind?"

Meng Renshu gritted his teeth, clearly losing his composure. "Don't shift the subject. I'm asking if you don't mind being switched like that because Auntie thought Xiaohua was more suitable for becoming my partner. Don't you feel wronged at all?"

Li Caiyi looked at Meng Renshu with a strange expression. Why does he care if she felt unjust or not? Why say this now after he treats her like a plus one all this time?

"I don't know what you want me to say, but I was not concerned even for a bit."

Meng Renshu was very disappointed when he heard that. The rift between him and Li Caiyi kept getting wider as time went by.

He always seemed to make a mistake in front of her, which did not help reduce the gap between them. He had never expected that the distance between him and Li Caiyi was so far away, as she was actively trying to create some distance away from him.

It made him lonely, but want to know even more about her simultaneously.

"I stand by my statement. I will go to the party with you and only with you." Meng Renshu said while gazing at Li Caiyi deeply, making her feel uncomfortable.

The current Meng Renshu was too different from what she remembered. If it were the previous him, he would put away everything he was doing once he got a call from Li Chunhua and ran to her side. No matter if they were in the middle of a date or an important family meeting.

Because of this, Li Caiyi always had to endure people's humiliation and looks of pity. Her mother-in-law was dissatisfied with her because Li Caiyi made the Meng family lose face. No one recognized her as Madam Meng, and people only treated her as Meng Renshu's childhood friend, not his wife.

Li Caiyi dared not to raise her head under people's scrutiny and criticism, but there was nothing she could do when Meng Renshu's heart was not with her. What was more upsetting about the whole situation was that she knew clearly that she was the third wheel between Meng Renshu and Li Chunhua's relationship, so she could not even consult with Meng Renshu about this lest she put him in a difficult position.

Suppose he said that in her previous life, Li Caiyi would probably become the happiest woman on earth. However, his words felt unpleasant to hear now.

The feeling she had for Meng Renshu was profound and complicated, something she did not dare to re-open and look at it twice. She was scared she would return to her pathetic self by doing that.

Li Caiyi just wanted to hide whenever she was with him. The only thing that prevented her from doing so was her remaining pride.

"Xiaohua and I looked the same, anyway. There shouldn't be any problem whoever accompanies you, right?"

Meng Renshu was stunned at first, but later, his face darkened, and with a tone as sharp as a knife, he asked her, "Are you serious about what you just said? Do you think I'm okay with any of you just because you are twins? So for you, I was that kind of person all this time?"

The danger lurking beneath his voice was so palpable it created the tension in the air. Li Caiyi had successfully made him mad now. However, this might be good too. That way, he would feel disappointed and never come closer to her again.

Li Chunhua, who sensed an incoming storm coming their way, jokingly intervened to ease the tension. "G-guys? Maybe we should talk about this civilly without fighting. In the first place, I have not said anything about agreeing yet, so don't fight."

"No, this is not about you, Xiaohua. It seems that your sister hates me now. That's the problem." Meng Renshu sneered.

Li Caiyi clenched her skirt under the table. Her feelings towards him now could not be described with a simple term like hate, but faced with his eyes, who had a trace of hurt in it, she could neither agree nor deny it.

Meng Renshu saw how Li Caiyi kept her silent, and his heart squeezed. He did not want to lose his cool in front of his childhood friends, so he rose from his seat with a forced smile on his face. "I'd better go now."

"Wait. You have not finished your lunch yet," Li Junjie said to him while looking down at the food on his plate, which was left untouched.

"No, I'm not hungry anymore." Meng Renshu shifted his gaze to Li Caiyi, "I will contact Auntie and talk to her again. Don't worry, I will settle this problem for you, so just give it a rest already, okay? Your rejection hurts me." He smiled sadly before he walked away with dropped shoulders.

Li Caiyi pressed her lips in a hard line, feeling the whole situation was ridiculous and funny. Why did he make it sound like she was in the wrong here? Even though it was because of him, she acted like this!

'This is so unfair,' Li Caiyi thought.

Li Junjie watched Meng Renshu's diminishing figure and nailed his gaze on Li Caiyi. "That one was your fault. Make sure you apologize to him later."

Li Caiyi could not stand her brother's gaze, which was full of accusation, and abruptly stood up too. "I have finished my business here, so I'll go too."

After both of them left, Li Chunhua sighed helplessly. "Brother, why do you have to say that to Xiaoyi? You make the situation worse. She would never apologize now that you accused her like that."

"I only said what needed to be said. I warned her she should be careful, but she did not seem to understand."

"You are smart, Brother, but Xiaoyi is not stupid, either. You don't even try to understand why she did that. Father and Mother also kept pressuring her to do something she did not want to do. Everyone forced their idea onto her; wouldn't it be natural for her to be upset?"

Li Junjie fell into a deep silence as he thought about it once again, while Li Chunhua took one more bite and left her seat as well. "Sure enough, only I understand Xiaoyi the best. I'll talk to her later, so don't say anything to her anymore, Brother. You will only make everything worse. Let me take care of this."

Although she appeared to scold him, she looked like she was in a good mood because she went away while humming.

In the end, Li Junjie was left alone in his seat. He thought about the exchange between Li Caiyi and Meng Renshu earlier and felt that there was a deeper problem than just a mere accompanying Meng Renshu to the party.historical

It was only a coming-of-age party, and Meng Renshu was not the type to make a fuss about such a thing. Li Caiyi also acted unreasonably cold towards Meng Renshu over a trivial thing. It did not make sense at all.

Something definitely happened between those two.