Chapter 16

Chapter 16

◎ Whose Youth Brings Tears to Our Eyes? ◎

The room was equipped with motion-sensor lights, which turned on the moment the door was pushed open. In the next second, everything inside the room met Meng Qi's eyes.

He had guessed correctly—this room was filled with the secrets of the "Meng Qi" from the book.

Facing the door was a life-sized standee, which gave Meng Qi a real scare. For a moment, he thought there was actually a real person hiding in here.

Unsurprisingly, this "real person" that startled Meng Qi was none other than Ren Suiyi.

Meng Qi remembered Ren Suiyi's face quite vividly. After all, the first person he saw upon arriving in this book was a furious Ren Suiyi—the furrowed brows, the blazing eyes, the tightly pursed lips, the clenched jaw... It was no exaggeration to say, even if Ren Suiyi were reduced to ashes, Meng Qi would still recognize him.

And this standee in front of him was also of an angry Ren Suiyi. Meng Qi thought it would be impossible not to recognize him.

Whether he recognized him or not was beside the point. The real question was, what kind of weird taste did the "Meng Qi" from the book have? Since he went to the trouble of making a standee, why not make one of Ren Suiyi bowing and scraping respectfully to him? At the very least, he could have made one with a warm, smiling face. Putting up an angry one here was just asking for trouble.

Meng Qi wasn't the "Meng Qi" from the book, so he naturally couldn't understand the latter's true thoughts. But he didn't want to waste brainpower thinking about it either—what did it have to do with him? So, he simply walked around the cutout to check out the room. He had originally hoped to find something that could help improve his disguise skills, but reality once again left him stunned.

Photos of Ren Suiyi covered the walls. Under each photo, careful notes were written in black pen, detailing the circumstances under which the photo was taken: Ren Suiyi sweating on the basketball court, Ren Suiyi walking briskly in the pouring rain, Ren Suiyi speaking confidently at the podium, Ren Suiyi secretly napping on his desk, Ren Suiyi coughing after choking on his food, Ren Suiyi sitting properly on the sofa reading the newspaper, Ren Suiyi leisurely playing chess with an elderly person, Ren Suiyi holding a trophy and laughing freely;

There was Ren Suiyi from his childhood, and Ren Suiyi from his youth;

There was Ren Suiyi beaming with joy, and Ren Suiyi looking downcast;

There was Ren Suiyi reserved and meticulous, and Ren Suiyi mischievous and unruly...

Among the many photos, only a small portion showed Ren Suiyi glaring at the camera with displeasure, his expression often revealing reluctance at being photographed by the "Meng Qi" from the book. Most of them were candid shots taken by the "Meng Qi" from various angles, with back shots being the majority.

They say "unrequited love is a one-sided war," but Meng Qi could see the "Meng Qi" from the book's desperate, fumbling effort from these photos: while taking pictures, he must have been both hiding from Ren Suiyi to avoid being discovered and trying his best to capture the most handsome and perfect Ren Suiyi in his eyes.

Thinking this, Meng Qi couldn't help but laugh. He thought to himself, this wasn't some arrogant brat at all, but rather a mischievous little imp.

Did Ren Suiyi feel sad on the day he died?

If Ren Suiyi were to find out now that the person who secretly held him dear in their heart had already disappeared, would he be sad?

Thinking this, Meng Qi began to cry again. He started regretting not having finished reading that novel properly and began to feel sorry for this young man who clearly had love in his heart but was prematurely labeled as a vicious villain.

But he was only sad for a little while. Before he could fully release his sorrowful emotions, he became frantic again upon seeing several portrait sketches.

In the corner of the room stood several completed portrait sketches. At a glance, one could tell they were of Ren Suiyi. Then, shifting his gaze to the right, an upright easel held a half-finished piece where only the eyes were complete, the rest just sketched in guidelines.

Oh my god! Is there no way to live peacefully?! Meng Qi silently wailed.

This was clearly the handiwork of the "Meng Qi" from the book!

Which meant that besides being able to write lyrics, compose music, and sing well, the "Meng Qi" from the book could also paint! And he painted well! The kind of skill that probably required years of practice...

In comparison, Meng Qi, who had only ever focused on studying diligently and never thought about developing any hobbies, was completely outclassed. Most importantly, these skills that the "Meng Qi" from the book was proficient in and that he himself couldn't do at all were definitely hidden bombs, capable of blowing him to pieces at any moment.

So, is it too late to start learning these skills now? The weak, pitiful, and helpless Meng Qi shivered in fear.

"Hey, Yiyi, look here!"

Meng Qi, who had stepped back in panic, didn't know what his hand touched, but the projector on the desk suddenly turned on automatically. Then, a silhouette slowly appeared in the light projected onto the wall. Next, the person's expression gradually became clear, and then a displeased Ren Suiyi began to speak, "Stop recording, it's ugly."

"Where is it ugly? It's clearly very good-looking," the next second, the hand of the "Meng Qi" from the book holding the video camera began to shake, probably because he was trying to stifle a laugh. But he only laughed twice before giving in under Ren Suiyi's glare, immediately surrendering and saying, "Alright, alright, I'll only record for five more minutes, then I'll stop. I at least have to record until you finish performing on stage."

"No, stop right now!" Seeing that the "Meng Qi" from the book was still recording, Ren Suiyi, with two blobs of rouge on his cheeks and his lips painted bright red, reached out to block the lens, complaining to the "Meng Qi" from the book while doing so, "This makeup artist's skills are terrible! I'll make sure he's unemployed tomorrow!"

Although they were just children in their early teens, Ren Suiyi's domineering side was already showing. Meng Qi found it both cute and funny, and unconsciously continued watching along with the shaky footage.

"Okay, okay, tomorrow... no, this afternoon after I get home, I'll go tell my dad and have this person unemployed by this afternoon." After saying this, the "Meng Qi" from the book burst into laughter. Then, another laugh came from within the now-black screen. The two young, innocent laughs mixed together, easily painting a picture of the carefree childhood of the "Meng Qi" from the book and Ren Suiyi.

Then the scene changed. In the light on the wall appeared Ren Suiyi wearing a graduation gown, frequently looking into the distance. At the same time, a somewhat unfamiliar yet somewhat fond voice-over sounded from off-camera, filled with immense grievance, "Brother Yiyi, why won't you take a photo holding the flowers I gave you? Do you really have to wait for Jiang Baixi's lousy flowers?!"

"I said I don't like roses. Why did you have to bring roses?" Ren Suiyi glanced impatiently at the camera, then immediately turned his head in another direction.

"These aren't ordinary roses! They're Damask roses, okay? Flown in overnight!"

"Even if they came by spaceship, it doesn't change the fact that they're still roses."

"Brother Yiyi!"

Just as the voice-over was rising in pitch, seemingly ready to continue arguing, the expression on Ren Suiyi's face in the footage changed. Impatience was replaced by delight. And as that bright figure in the distance came closer and closer to the camera, Ren Suiyi's smile grew wider and wider. Then he left the "Meng Qi" from the book behind and ran toward Jiang Baixi, who was rushing over from not far away, holding a bouquet of flowers.

The "Meng Qi" from the book must have been extremely angry, because he immediately turned around and threw the bouquet of supposedly overnight-flown Damask roses he had been holding into a nearby trash can.

Then the screen darkened, and the sound disappeared as well.

Perhaps what also disappeared was the young boy's love, never having had the chance to be spoken aloud.

The projector stored only these two video clips, and they were set to loop. Meng Qi stood there and watched them several times in a row. Because the "Meng Qi" from the book never appeared in the footage, only his voice was heard, Meng Qi felt like an onlooker, getting a rushed glimpse of Ren Suiyi's childhood and adolescence.

For a moment, Meng Qi felt that he and the "Meng Qi" from the book had become one and the same, because they were both onlookers, minor characters who could exit the stage at any time.

But he had only briefly participated in these two segments by watching the recordings and was already so saddened. He couldn't imagine how much more saddened the "Meng Qi" from the book, who had been trapped in this all along, must have been. So, perhaps his arrival brought not only the hope of rebirth for the "Meng Qi" from the book, but also a complete liberation?

Calculated this way, his transmigration journey seemed quite meaningful...

Of course, the premise for it to be meaningful was that he had to successfully overcome this life-or-death challenge and live well in this book! Otherwise, it was all for nothing! Meng Qi pursed his lips, walked over to turn off the projector, took another look around at everything in the room, walked out, and resolutely locked the door again.

Probably, perhaps, he would never enter again.

Utterly exhausted, Meng Qi really wanted to get a good night's sleep, preferably without anyone disturbing him. So, before entering the bedroom, he first told the live-in housekeeper that he wouldn't be having dinner and not to wake him up in the evening, as he planned to sleep until the next morning and have breakfast then.

The live-in housekeeper nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, then said to Meng Qi, "Young Master, let me wash this set of clothes you're wearing. They look a bit wrinkled. They're not very presentable."

From the live-in housekeeper's hesitant look, Meng Qi guessed that what she really wanted to say was that they were too wrinkled and made him look particularly sloppy.

Meng Qi guessed correctly. The live-in housekeeper had never seen the "Meng Qi" from the book wear clothes of such poor quality. Not only were they all wrinkled, but the excess threads were practically fluttering like tassels in the wind! She first pointed at Meng Qi's cuffs, then at his collar, and finally said tactfully, "Young Master, you weren't tricked by the seller, were you? Look at all these loose threads on the clothes, and look at this collar. The workmanship is terrible. Not only is there no proper hem, but even the stitching is crooked. Young Master, please don't buy clothes from this store anymore."

Meng Qi's face reddened with embarrassment as he scratched his head awkwardly. "I just grabbed them randomly. Maybe I got a reject."

He couldn't possibly tell the truth—that they weren't brand-name goods but cheap items bought from a small street-side shop, where a T-shirt cost only twenty-five and a large sun-protection jacket was only seventy-six.

For so cheap, what more could one ask for? He himself was quite satisfied.

Hearing Meng Qi say this, the live-in housekeeper first nodded in confusion, then said with great confidence, "It's fine, it's fine. Anyway, I know how to do alterations. After washing and drying them, I'll alter them for you. I guarantee they'll be as good as new."

Meng Qi agreed with a series of "mhmm," then turned and fled into the bedroom. After quickly changing into his pajamas, he handed the clothes he had taken off to the live-in housekeeper, adding another instruction, "If it's too much trouble, forget it. I can just make do with wearing them as they are."

"How can we make do with this? If the Master and Madam find out I didn't take good care of you, they might really fire me," the live-in housekeeper said as she took the clothes from Meng Qi and turned them inside out to inspect them, shaking her head while inspecting. "Does the manufacturer of these clothes have no shame? Look, problems everywhere."

Meng Qi smiled awkwardly and retreated into the bedroom and closed the door, then silently vowed never to buy clothes randomly again.

If even the live-in housekeeper was this picky, how much more picky would his stepmother and biological father be? They might even say to his face: What terrible taste, truly an eyesore...