Chapter 69 - Walking Together

Class ended in the blink of an eye. Li Caiyi bade her friends goodbye and left the classroom first. She was thinking of picking up Dai Zhiqiang at his class, but the problem was he had the same class as Li Chunhua.

If Li Chunhua saw her leaving the school with a boy, only God knew how she would react.

Regarding the matter of the other day, Li Caiyi did not know how to approach Li Chunhua. She felt like anything she said to convince her now would only bring counterproductive results. That was why she just left her be for a while.

It wasn't easy to have a younger sibling, although Li Caiyi and Li Chunhua's ages were technically only half an hour apart.

Li Caiyi went into the library to find it empty. There were not many students who would visit the library around this time. She sat in her usual spot and waited for Dai Zhiqiang.

Sure enough, Dai Zhiqiang came with his backpack after ten minutes or so. He quickly spotted Li Caiyi, and there was a little excitement in his heart, knowing that she was waiting for him.

"You are here," he said plainly.

"Yeah. I predicted you would come here. Shall we go now?"

Dai Zhiqiang nodded. He waited until Li Caiyi left the room before locking the library doors.

"Dai Zhiqiang, are you the one who usually locked the place?"

"I got a spare key when I was allowed to take the job as a librarian by the school."

"I didn't know our school allowed the student to do that too."

"It's included in the scholarship benefit. This is also why I choose to come to this school."

"Because you will get paid from taking the position as the librarian?"

"Pretty much, but it's not only me, though. Until last year, two upperclassmen were in this together with me, but they had to stop after they became the third year."

Li Caiyi nodded understandingly. "I see. It's because our school wants them to focus on their studies."

"Yeah."

Li Caiyi somehow felt sympathetic because Dai Zhiqiang had to do a lot at such a young age. She was sure he was also often harassed by those loan sharks, to the point he even worked in the school.

Now that Dai Shenqiang was hospitalized, he also had to pay for his little brother's medical fee.

Li Caiyi bit her lips. She wanted to help, but she was not sure if the Dai brothers would appreciate it or not. They often said that men had an enormous pride, after all.

"I want to buy something first on the way. Do you mind if we stop by somewhere else first?"

"Oh, that's fine. Where should we go?"

"To Shenqiang's favorite noodle shop."

Li Caiyi's eyes lit up at the mention of that. "Is it perhaps the Yueguang Noodle House?"

Dai Zhiqiang frowned. "Did Shenqiang tell you that?"

"Huh? Oh well, yeah, kinda,"

'But it's in our previous life, though,' Li Caiyi added silently in heart.

Dai Zhiqiang only hummed slightly and said nothing else, while Li Caiyi was excited. "Hey, do you know what else Shenqiang likes? I want to hear more about your story when both of you were still a child."

The more enthusiastic Li Caiyi was, the more depressed Dai Zhiqiang became. Was this her reason for wanting to walk together with him? He regretted a bit for agreeing with her, now. Despite that, he could not reject her plea for information, so he reluctantly told her.

"Shenqiang liked to draw scenery. He usually draws cityscapes or nature, and he used to go to higher places to get a better view of the landscape. Once, I spotted him drawing on top of a tree. When I called him to come down, he cried because he can't go down by himself."

Li Caiyi chuckled. She remembered when she first met Dai Shenqiang, he was also standing on the highest spot of the abandoned building. "So? What did you do after that?"

"I used a ladder and picked him up from the tree."

"Hehe, how sweet. Dai Zhiqiang, you are a kind brother."

His heart fluttered at her compliment. Dai Zhiqiang avoided her eyes, so his feelings would not be shown on his face. He really was weak in front of her.

Not long after that, they arrived in Yueguang.

As soon as Li Caiyi stepped inside, a familiar face greeted her.

"Welcome!" Zhou Ya said with a bright business smile. She was surprised when she saw Li Caiyi. "Caiyi! What a coincidence to meet you here."

Li Caiyi waved her hand in a friendly manner. Zhou Ya later realized that Li Caiyi did not come alone. With a low voice, she whispered to Li Caiyi. "Oh, isn't that Dai Zhiqiang from class A? Why are you with him?"

Oh, right. Li Caiyi had yet to tell anyone about Dai Shenqiang. She refrained from telling anyone about it because she did not want Li Chunhua to know that as well.

Li Caiyi leaned in and whispered back to her. "Promise me not to tell anyone, including Feng Nian and Chen Ruolan. I have found my Shen Qiang."

"Really?!"

"Sshh, lower your voice!" Li Caiyi only continued after Zhou Ya covered her mouth. "I met him by coincidence, and it turns out Shenqiang is Dai Zhiqiang's little brother."

Zhou Ya's jaw hung open in a shock. Then, a realization slowly sunk in her.

"That's it! I remember now where I ever heard Shenqiang's name before!" Zhou Ya said while clapping her hands like a seal. "I remembered Grandpa talking about it before. He said one of his regulars has a brother who likes our noodles very much. He said his name was Shenqiang. How come I did not remember about it up until now?"

Li Caiyi smiled understandingly. "You meet a lot of customers every day. No wonder you can't remember it right away. I'm just thankful I can meet him again."

"And are you sure his brother is the Shenqiang you are looking for?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Good for you, Caiyi." Zhou Ya patted Li Caiyi's arm gently.

Meanwhile, Dai Zhiqiang had watched how both girls squealed together in a hushed voice and his brows furrowed. "Is everything alright?"

"Huh? Yes!" Zhou Ya quickly returned to his side while holding a notebook in her hand.. "I'm sorry we got a bit distracted. May I take your order now?"