Chapter 51

Chapter 51

◎Meng Qi!◎

The trip from home to the pet hospital and back wasn't long, but the round trip still took nearly two hours. By the time Ren Suiyi's Maybach pulled back up to his building, it was already past eleven.

The deep quiet of night was settling in, and everything in sight seemed wrapped in loneliness.

Given what had happened between them, Meng Qi felt this time of night wasn't really appropriate for inviting Ren Suiyi upstairs for a cup of tea.

As the car gradually slowed to a stop, Meng Qi stared at the red ornament swaying from the rearview mirror, agonizing over what to say. It only hit him at the last second—he should first ask Ren Suiyi why he had come to see him so late. Even though he could guess the reason, it was polite to ask.

Meng Qi cleared his throat and spoke, "What brings you here so late? I was so worried about Meng Lingzhi the whole way, I forgot to ask."

Ren Suiyi pulled the car over to the curb, turned off the headlights, and casually switched on the overhead reading light.

The interior lighting became softer with the change, softening the sharp lines of Ren Suiyi's profile, lending a rare youthful air to his otherwise imposing demeanor.

This was the first time Meng Qi had seen this boyish quality on Ren Suiyi's face. He was taken aback for a moment, only then realizing that Ren Suiyi had just graduated from university and wasn't that much older than him.

But because their first meeting, on that furious night, had left Meng Qi with an impression of Ren Suiyi as so domineering, he had subconsciously assumed Ren Suiyi was much older—at least six or seven years his senior. This perceived age gap had always made him feel constrained and hesitant to speak freely around Ren Suiyi.

Even now, knowing they were around the same age, Meng Qi still didn't dare speak much. After asking his question, he grew nervous, his fingers unconsciously picking at the edge of the box holding Meng Lingzhi and Ren Baizhi, making faint rustling noises in the quiet night, though he himself didn't notice.

What he also didn't realize was that the feeling Ren Suiyi evoked wasn't constraint from a perceived age gap, but the pressure of authority. It wasn't just him who was cautious about speaking freely in front of Ren Suiyi; a whole lot of other people in the world felt the same way.

"I wanted to see if you were feeling better. You wouldn't reply to my messages, and you didn't answer my calls, so I had to come find you," Ren Suiyi replied lightly, sounding casual but with a hint of reproach.

Meng Qi was embarrassed because he had indeed thought about doing just that.

"But you didn't send me any messages, and you didn't call me either," he immediately retorted.

Even if he'd had the thought, he hadn't acted on it. As long as he didn't show it, Ren Suiyi's accusation was unfounded.

Ren Suiyi's eyes widened briefly before returning to normal, then he gave a soft, wry laugh. "Alright, alright, no excuses. I just wanted to see you."

Wanted...

"Wanted to see you" and "wanted to check on your illness" are two completely different things, aren't they? Don't think you can fool me just because my Chinese grades weren't great, Meng Qi silently grumbled, pursing his lips. He thought, you should save that line for Jiang Baixi. Wasting it on me is just a waste.

After a few seconds of internal venting, he pressed his lips together and replied to Ren Suiyi, "Thank you, I'm really fine now, completely recovered."

"Is that so—" Ren Suiyi looked Meng Qi up and down, then raised an eyebrow, seemingly convinced. He continued, "In that case, I'm relieved. You can go up now, I should head back too."

Meng Qi had been hoping Ren Suiyi would say he was leaving. Hearing it, his eyes lit up with joy. "Okay... then drive safely. I'll be going now."

He couldn't quite suppress the cheerful lilt at the end of his sentence...

With that, he hastily freed one hand to push open the car door, his figure noticeably lighter as he walked away.

"Meng Qi!" Ren Suiyi called out, his voice sharp, from behind him.

The sudden call startled Meng Qi, his heart giving a jolt. He froze on the spot, then slowly turned to look at Ren Suiyi, his eyes filled with confusion and unease.

Ren Suiyi's call had been so urgent it had given Meng Qi goosebumps. But when Meng Qi turned around, Ren Suiyi himself seemed momentarily stunned. After a few seconds, he curved his lips into a smile and waved at Meng Qi. "Goodbye, get some rest. Good night."

That's it?...

Meng Qi had to free a hand to wave back. "Good night, goodbye."

"The pet doctor said the swamp side-necked turtle is a tropical species. The water temperature can't be too low; you need to put a heater in the tank." Just when Meng Qi thought the coast was clear, Ren Suiyi's lips curved up again into a sly arc, his eyes glinting with a triumphant gleam.

Meng Qi:...

It seemed his sixth sense was pretty accurate. When Ren Suiyi called out like that, he'd felt sure nothing good would come of it. And here it was! Meng Lingzhi didn't need a heater, which meant it and Ren Baizhi couldn't be kept in the same tank. He'd have to buy another tank for Ren Baizhi, that little thing not even palm-sized, and split his attention to care for it specially...

Buying a companion for Meng Lingzhi?

Pfft, a companion separated by glass?

This was seriously annoying. Meng Qi's brows began to knit together.

"I'll buy the tank tomorrow and bring it over," Ren Suiyi said. "You don't need to buy it yourself. Just focus on raising Ren Baizhi well; don't worry about the rest."

Don't worry about the rest? Does that mean Ren Baizhi should eat the tank?

Meng Qi sighed but firmly refused, "No need for you to buy it. I'll buy it myself. I've bought one before; I have experience."

If Ren Suiyi delivered a tank once, wouldn't that mean he'd have to come again? Better not. It wasn't like Meng Qi couldn't afford it himself.

"I'll buy it. Don't worry about it." Before Meng Qi could refuse again, Ren Suiyi instantly started his Maybach, which shot forward with a vroom.

That take-off was fierce, leaving Meng Qi momentarily stunned. He thought, this must be the Maybach's true performance. Liang Wenkai's acceleration speed would be child's play compared to Ren Suiyi's. If he were still in the car, he'd definitely experience what flying felt like.

Looking down at Meng Lingzhi and Ren Baizhi, Meng Qi felt glum. Fly? What fly? The real priority was figuring out how to get a heated tank for Ren Baizhi quickly, before Ren Suiyi delivered one that Ren Baizhi might not even live to use...

Thinking about it this way, it didn't feel like raising a pet, more like raising a demanding little ancestor.

Not happy.

When he got home, the live-in housekeeper was still awake. Perhaps because it was her last night here, she couldn't sleep. In any case, she was drinking water in the living room when Meng Qi entered. Seeing him, she quickly poured a glass of warm water and handed it to him, her attitude even more attentive than usual.

Meng Qi pretended not to notice the housekeeper's demeanor. This time, he was determined to let her go.

The housekeeper stood silently beside Meng Qi for a while. Seeing he wasn't speaking, she sighed, probably accepting reality. Noticing Meng Qi had brought back a small turtle from his outing, she thought he had ultimately taken her advice. Hope rekindled in her eyes as she looked at Meng Qi and said, "See, I told you it's best to raise them from a young age. Look how cute this little one is, and it's already close to you. It'll be even closer when it grows up, much better than that soft-shelled turtle."

Meng Qi took a deep breath, feeling even more displeased. But he decided not to argue with the housekeeper; there was no point. After placing the box with Meng Lingzhi and Ren Baizhi on the coffee table, he carried the oversized glass tank to the bathroom.

The housekeeper's rekindled hope was instantly snuffed out again.

After scrubbing the tank inside and out and disinfecting it, it was past midnight. The housekeeper had long gone to rest. Only Meng Qi was still moving about the room, solitary and lonely. But with his two little pets for company, he didn't feel too alone.

Meng Qi meticulously followed the pet doctor's instructions: disinfecting Meng Lingzhi, applying medicine, feeding it a few turtle pellets, and finally carefully placing it into the empty glass tank.

As for Ren Baizhi, to prevent it from catching anything from Meng Lingzhi, it had to make do with spending the night in a vegetable washing basin placed in the kitchen sink, which Meng Qi had already half-filled with warm water.

The next morning, the housekeeper went out as usual to buy groceries and prepare breakfast for Meng Qi. Meanwhile, Meng Qi went in and out, finding containers to sun water for Meng Lingzhi. The housekeeper offered to help midway, but Meng Qi declined.

It was her last day; let the older woman take it easy. He could manage what he needed to do himself. After all, he'd have to do everything himself from now on... He had no plans to hire a new housekeeper.

Once the housekeeper left, there would be an extra empty room. The game room was finally secure. Meng Qi planned to convert the room the housekeeper had used into a study.

Even while constantly thinking about leaving, he still had plans to renovate the room. Meng Qi had no words for himself.

The housekeeper had originally intended to stay until after making lunch for Meng Qi. Meng Qi thought about it and decided there was no need to take up more of her time. It would be better for her to spend the rest of the day relaxing or shopping. He politely declined her offer to make lunch, gave her a generous red envelope, and let her go.

So, lunch today was up to him.

Meng Qi, who hadn't cooked in a long time, was eager to show off his skills and soothe his homesick heart. He even made a menu for himself. Just as he was about to showcase his culinary prowess in the kitchen, the doorbell rang. There was no need to guess who it was. His good mood plummeted instantly.

Outside the door, Ren Suiyi greeted Meng Qi while holding a luxury turtle tank encrusted with diamonds and filled with various colored uncut gemstones. Meng Qi's jaw slowly dropped.

Now *this* is what you call real money!

This is next-level rich!

Even the turtle tank was so flashy it could blind you...

Without comparison, there is no harm. He had thought buying a bag of turtle food for over a hundred yuan for Meng Lingzhi was already extravagant enough, but compared to this, Meng Lingzhi really had it rough by being with him...