Chapter 135 - Lullaby

Li Caiyi came back with a nurse following behind her not long after that. Meng Renshu slightly frowned because the time was already past the patient check-up time as far as he knew. However, seeing Li Caiyi said nothing and only walked to the bedside table to put down a vase full of flowers, he also thought little of it. 

However, the nurse seemed different from the one Li Jirong introduced to them yesterday. Perhaps something happened, and this nurse came to take the previous one's place?

"What's wrong, Brother Renshu?" Li Caiyi asked him after the nurse had left, although she already knew more or less what he was thinking about.

"This nurse is different from the one Uncle introduced to us yesterday. I wonder if something happened?"

"I don't know the reason, either. Perhaps the previous one was too busy and sent someone else to take her place. You can't predict what will happen in the hospital after all."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Li Caiyi plopped herself down on the couch and leaned back against the backrest. She was tired, but she couldn't take a nap anymore since Meng Renshu was here. He always had an uncanny timing to show himself up.

"Did you just come back from somewhere?" Meng Renshu couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Not really. Why do you ask that?"

"Well, you seem to be different today. I have never seen you wearing these kinds of clothes and make-up before."

Li Caiyi was too distracted by her exhaustion, she forgot that the current Meng Renshu hadn't got many chances to see her in this type of outfit. At most, he saw her dressing up nicely during a formal party, but that was it. This outfit was indeed a bit too much for a hospital visit, so no wonder he thought she went out somewhere before coming here.

"Ah, I need to meet up with someone important in the way." Li Caiyi made up an excuse on the spot and blurted out the first thing that came into her mind. 

"Really? Who is it?"

"Just someone. You won't know him even if I told you, Brother Renshu," Li Caiyi gently massaged her nose bridge.

"Him?" Meng Renshu's eyes squinted a bit as he asked stiffly, "This someone important who you met up with… is a man?"

"Yes, is there something wrong with that?"

Meng Renshu didn't reply, and his expression betrayed nothing. However, he seemed to fall into deep thought. Li Caiyi recalled a similar situation not so long ago and somehow became warier.

For some unknown reason, Meng Renshu in this timeline seemed too attentive to her, to the point it was annoying. The last time Li Caiyi said she visited her friend in the hospital, he forced her to become his partner for his coming-of-age party. If she didn't know beforehand that he was deeply in love with Li Chunhua, she might think he acted that way out of jealousy. His streak of overprotectiveness also made her feel weird and uncomfortable. 

However, to her surprise, Meng Renshu only smiled at her this time while saying, "I see. It must be an important appointment if you go out dressing like that. I was surprised and got curious."

"O-oh, yeah…"

He chuckled. "You don't have to look so tense. I will not force you to talk if you don't want to."

Li Caiyi fidgeted in her place awkwardly under his friendly but somehow pressuring smile. What's with this prickly sensation in the air?

"Xiaoyi, about my coming-of-age party, I was thinking of postponing it until Xiaohua regained her consciousness and could get up from the bed. Would it be okay with you?"

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" Li Caiyi replied nonchalantly. She had expected he would postpone it even without him telling her, anyway. This development didn't happen in her previous life, but considering how much Meng Renshu liked Li Chunhua, this was an inevitable outcome.

Her lack of enthusiasm made Meng Renshu feel disappointed somehow, but he covered it up by saying, "I'm glad you're at least not against this anymore."

"There's nothing I can do about it at this point," Li Caiyi sighed before uttering in a low voice, "Fighting against it has become too tiresome now. Better to save my energy for more important things."

Li Chunhua, Meng Renshu, Su Suyin, Li Jirong, Gu Xue. 

Her head was full of so many things she didn't have time to think about Shen Qiang lately. It was so bad that Li Caiyi sometimes forgot what he looked like. She felt like Shen Qiang slowly slipped out of her fingers with each second passed by, which frightened her so much.

Shen Qiang was the reason everything started. Where in the world could he be?

Li Caiyi's eyelid became heavier as she thought about Shen Qiang before it completely shut. 

Meng Renshu took his eyes off of Li Caiyi for a few minutes to check on Li Chunhua, but she had already fallen asleep on the couch before he knew it. He stared silently at her sleeping face and could see traces of fatigue in that powder-covered face. 

Although Li Caiyi was beautiful like this, Meng Renshu still felt that this style was too glamorous for her. Maybe because he knew her personality well, he thought her usual neat and simple style suited her more. 

'How important is that person to make her dress up like this?' Meng Renshu thought inwardly. He initially wanted to ask her, but he was afraid she would get angry at him again if he did so. 

Li Caiyi slept soundly for some time before her head tilted dangerously to one side in her slumber. Meng Renshu, who saw how her body almost fell off the couch, quickly reacted. His body moved before he could think, and he scrambled forward to catch her body before it was too late. 

"Phew, that was close," He muttered in relief when he firmly held her body and head in place. 

However, doing that put him in an awkward position instead. His upper body leaned forward as his hand gently supported her head and body but his lower body was still kneeling on the floor.

Meng Renshu didn't want to disturb her sleep. He silently climbed up to the spot beside her—so he could be a wall between her and the edge of the couch—and gently put her head on his shoulder. This way, her neck wouldn't feel sore when she woke up later.

Li Caiyi, who was sleeping peacefully, knew nothing about this situation and snuggled to him closer, like a kitten searching for the most comfortable position to sleep in. Meng Renshu could feel his heart stir again, seeing her adorable reaction. 

Her warm breath tickled his neck, and the steady rhythm of it unexpectedly put him at ease too. He could also feel her heartbeat when their body was sticking so close against each other.

It reminded him of the old days. When they were children, they often slept together, leaning into each other like this. 

The warmth of sunlight passing through the window and the girl beside him soothed his nerves. Meng Renshu couldn't help but feel sleepy as well. 

The sound of her soft breath was like a lullaby in his ears, gently coaxing him to close his eyes. This might be the first time after a long time that he felt so safe and peaceful like this at the thought of falling asleep. 

He had a feeling he would have a good sleep this time, so he slowly let his drowsiness drown him.