Su Suyin was thrilled when she returned to see Li Chunhua had woken up. She immediately called Li Junjie, who arrived soon after. With him, the Li family finally reunited again.
Li Caiyi looked at the scene before her and thought her family was never perfect, but they seemed much happier now than before. She smiled faintly.
A few hours later, Meng Renshu also arrived. He looked genuinely happy to see Li Chunhua was alright and gave her a brotherly hug.
Out of habit, Li Caiyi took out her phone and wanted to tell someone about this good news. But then she remembered that Dai Zhiqiang and her were no longer in a relationship and lowered her phone.
"Oh yeah, this is good timing. There is something I want to tell you." Meng Renshu spread his gaze to everyone in the room before declaring, "I will go abroad to study tomorrow. The preparation has already been done, and the only thing left is to wait for the departure day."
Everyone seemed shocked by his decision, including Li Junjie. Li Caiyi was the only one who wasn't surprised by this sudden news. She kind of expected this to happen.
"But why so suddenly?" Su Suyin asked him worriedly. "Will you be alright staying by yourself abroad?"
"Auntie, I will be fine. If I want to inherit the family business soon, I must learn from the best. Well, I don't really have to, but I want to." He glanced at Li Caiyi for a moment before continuing, "I can't be the only one working hard because there is something I have to do."
The rest just naturally thought that Meng Renshu was simply being dedicated to his future position as the sole heir of Meng Pharmaceutical, but Li Caiyi knew he implied something else by saying that.
He was right. If she wanted to become stronger, she had to put aside her feelings and work hard to improve herself. She couldn't use writer's block as an excuse to avoid writing all the time.
"I see. We will not often meet anymore, but I'll root for you, Brother Renshu. I know you can do this!" Li Chunhua gave him a thumbs-up, and Meng Renshu smiled fondly at her.
"Don't worry. I won't let anyone get hurt this time."
"Huh?" Li Chunhua was confused by his weird response, but Li Junjie's words interrupted her thoughts.
"I thought you wanted to enjoy more freedom before getting serious into the family business. But apparently, you have changed your mind."
"Heh, I can't let you get ahead of me every time. You also have decided which path you want to take, right?"
"Yes. Thanks to someone."
Meng Renshu chuckled. "Then will we see each other again in the future? At that time, we should have a drinking party with Xiaoyi and Xiaohua too."
"That's nice! I'm in!"
"Xiaohua, you can't drink alcohol, or your health will deteriorate again."
"Aww, Mom. It should be fine if I only drink a little, right?"
They were busy conversing and didn't notice that Li Caiyi had slipped away from the room. She wanted to get some fresh air to clear her mind.
Li Caiyi went for a walk in the garden but ended up in the spot where she and Dai Zhiqiang had their last fight. She sat down on their usual bench and began to think back about various things that had happened so far.
There were good and bad times, but everything gave her a meaningful time. Perhaps, as Shao Jingfei said, she didn't have to blame her past self too much. The past Li Caiyi worked hard and failed, but the current her still has yet to fail.
And even if Dai Zhiqiang didn't like her anymore, but he would forever have a special place in her heart. She would never forget how he pulled her out of that suffocating loneliness and gave her the strength to continue.
Li Caiyi played with her pendant and stared absentmindedly at the night sky above. It was full of stars and pretty.
"Xiaoyi."
Li Caiyi turned around to find Meng Renshu standing behind her. He held a plastic bag in his hand and silently sat beside her.
"Someone seemed to have a lot of things on her mind, so I got worried and checked on her."
Li Caiyi: "...."
Meng Renshu opened his plastic bag and took out a can of beer. Li Caiyi eyed it down weirdly. "You will get into trouble if you make a minor like me drink."
He chuckled. "No one is around, and more importantly, you are not minor inside."
Fair enough. And Li Caiyi could really use some alcohol to distract herself now.
She accepted it, and they drank together in silence. The night wind was chilly, but the alcohol kept her body warm.
"Are you really going tomorrow?"
"Yeah. I have decided that the faster I take care of everything, the less dangerous it will be for you and Xiaohua."
"I see. You are so decisive that I can't help but feel jealous of you."
Meng Renshu smiled vaguely. "If it weren't for you, I probably won't be able to make this decision either."
"...Sorry, it was insensitive of me to speak like that."
Meng Renshu shook his head. "No, it's fine. Are you thinking about Dai Zhiqiang again?"
Li Caiyi didn't answer and heaved a long sigh. "I have to learn to let him go. He is under this sky, somewhere out there. It's not the end of the world, but my heart felt heavy."
Meng Renshu played with his can before hesitantly saying, "Can you really let him go?"
'Just like how you let me go?'
Those were words left hanging in the air. Meng Renshu dared not to ask her that.
Li Caiyi's hand stiffened. Would she really be able to treat Dai Zhiqiang casually, just like she did with Meng Renshu?
She doubted that.
Because Li Caiyi knew she would falter. Dai Zhiqiang was the first person who accepted her just the way she was. His existence was just that big and unerasable.
Meng Renshu realized she wouldn't answer and shot her another question, "Will you see me off to the airport tomorrow? Will you pick me up when I return someday?"
Li Caiyi shifted her gaze to him as she felt the expectant tone in his voice. Meng Renshu was looking at her thoughtfully.
It was a simple question that implied a lot of deeper meaning. She felt like something would change between them depending on her answer.
"I…"
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