Chapter 74

Chapter 74

◎ A Confession Cut Short. ◎

On the way to the amusement park, Meng Qi dutifully played the part of a broken soul, wounded by family ties. He kept his mouth shut unless necessary, silently leaning against the car window, staring at the fleeting scenery outside at a forty-five-degree angle.

The scenery along this road was different from what he'd seen on previous drives.

Back then, they'd driven from the city center to the suburbs—the road widening, the views getting nicer, the air filled with dancing, crisp water molecules, accompanied by the fragrance of flowers, grass, soil, and the unique woody scent of towering trees. Every breath was a pleasure.

But now, the amusement park they were heading to was in the bustling city center. When the car turned around, Meng Qi had a feeling the environment ahead wouldn't be great.

It was pretty much as he'd guessed. The further they drove, the narrower the roads became. Steel-and-concrete skyscrapers rose up, blotting out the sky, one after another, completely replacing the greenery and trapping the city in an airtight cage.

The fresh air was completely replaced by car exhaust. Not only was the oxygen so scarce it felt suffocating, but with every breath, from your nose to your lungs, it felt like a layer of greasy exhaust was coating them, carrying a heavy, undeniable gloom.

Plus, with more traffic lights, the road conditions got worse. They'd drive a few minutes, then hit a traffic jam; get a red light, then have to stop. And so it went, stop and go. In less than half an hour, Meng Qi was already feeling sick from the jostling.

The only reason he hadn't puked was sheer willpower.

Meng Qi took a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to ease the tightness in his chest. At the same time, he shot a weary glance at the driver, Gangzi, and couldn't help but complain to himself. This guy really should learn some driving skills from those two bodyguards Meng Kaize hired for forty-seven thousand. He didn't need to drive super smooth, but at least he could avoid stopping at red lights.

Thinking this, Meng Qi started wondering what Gangzi's salary was. Was it more than or equal to twenty-five grand? If so, that's kind of a bad deal, isn't it? Might as well swap him for an all-purpose bodyguard.

Speaking of bodyguards, one that skilled for only twenty-five grand was a steal. Should he hire one before leaving?

Just as Meng Qi was lost in thought, the Maybach's front wheel suddenly rolled over a speed bump, jolting him. Caught off guard, he let out an "Ah!" and his head knocked against the window with a crisp "thump."

Through the rearview mirror, Gangzi said apologetically, "Sorry, Young Master Meng. Did that hurt? There are too many speed bumps here. I didn't see them in time and couldn't stop."

Before Ren Suiyi's hand could touch him, Meng Qi casually rubbed his forehead and put on a relaxed smile. "It doesn't hurt. It's fine. Don't worry about it, just keep driving."

Gangzi acknowledged and slowly eased off the gas a bit.

As for Ren Suiyi, seeing Meng Qi was fine, he pulled his hand back and went back to looking at his phone.

Ren Suiyi hadn't said much during the ride either. He kept his head down, fingers tapping away on his phone, chatting with someone. Sometimes he pursed his lips in thought, sometimes he raised an eyebrow and smiled. He seemed pretty into the conversation. Meng Qi had pursed his lips more than once, thinking, *Chat away, chat till we get there. That way, I won't have to be so careful about what I say.*

A phone ringing suddenly broke the silence in the car, interrupting Meng Qi's random thoughts again. He was startled for a moment, and when he realized it was his own phone, he fumbled to grab it.

The people who usually called him were two: Meng Kaize and Liang Wenkai. Right now, he didn't want to answer either one.

But the more flustered he got, the more mistakes he made. While pulling out his phone, he accidentally hit the answer button. The next second, Liang Wenkai's voice came through, tinged with both surprise and frustration. "Young Master Meng, we found the guy, but he demands..."

Unlike Liang Wenkai, Meng Qi was anything but surprised! He was startled, instantly a hundred times more frustrated than Liang Wenkai! He knew right away this had to do with his car-selling business. He absolutely couldn't let Ren Suiyi hear a word.

Meng Qi quickly cut Liang Wenkai off, urging him to hang up. "Let's talk later. I've got something to deal with here. I'm hanging up now."

Liang Wenkai paused on the other end, realizing Meng Qi must have someone else around. Remembering how Meng Qi always told him not to let others know what he was up to, he felt a pang of anxiety and quickly shut his mouth with regret. When he spoke again, his tone was more careful. "Alright, Young Master Meng. It's nothing big. I'll call you back later. Sorry for the interruption."

*Quite the interruption, indeed...*

Meng Qi hummed in acknowledgment and quickly hung up, immediately turning his gaze out the window, pretending to look at the view.

Ren Suiyi, who should have been deep in his chat, tilted his head slightly towards Meng Qi, furrowing his brows. "Whose call was that? Looking for someone?"

In a flash, Meng Qi's mind went blank, but his mouth started making up excuses before his brain could catch up. "Oh, it was a classmate. They were helping me find someone to study with. I'm not solid enough in one subject, and I'm afraid I won't pass the final exam."

"Isn't one Kuang Hui enough? Who else do you need to help you?" Ren Suiyi asked casually, as if asking Meng Qi, *Look up, is it sunny or cloudy?*

But it threw Meng Qi into a panic. His mind raced, trying to decipher the meaning behind Ren Suiyi's words. How did he know that Kuang Hui was tutoring him? Besides Kuang Hui, Dong Jiaming, and himself, no one else seemed to know.

Lost in thought, Meng Qi forgot to answer.

Ren Suiyi lifted the corner of his mouth, looking at Meng Qi with a teasing gaze. "Surprised? Is there any classmate of yours who performs better than Kuang Hui? Besides, he's already living with you. Why would you need to find someone else to tutor you? Although I don't know if Kuang Hui is actually tutoring you, I think 'a water tower near the moon gets the moonlight first.' You shouldn't bypass him to find someone else. It's not cost-effective and wastes time."

*Oh, so he was just guessing.* Meng Qi put his heart, which had been in his throat, back down and forced a smile at Ren Suiyi. "Everyone has their strengths. Kuang Hui isn't omnipotent. I want to find someone who's better than him in a specific subject, to be safer."

What he was thinking was, *Scared me to death. I thought this book had given Ren Suiyi a God's-eye view...*

Ren Suiyi seemed to find Meng Qi's reason reasonable. After a brief thought, he nodded. "Good idea." He paused, then continued, "But who did you ask to find this person? That voice sounds a bit familiar to me."

Just as the Maybach's front wheel rolled over another speed bump, Meng Qi's heart lurched with it. As his mouth opened and closed, he heard his own voice. "Ah, well, maybe... maybe my classmate has a common-sounding voice. You've never met him, so you couldn't have heard him speak before."

Ren Suiyi fixed his gaze on Meng Qi, silently staring at him for a few seconds. Just as Meng Qi was about to give in and look away, Ren Suiyi finally nodded. "I must have misheard."

"Haha, exactly." Meng Qi gave a dry laugh, then tried to ease his tension by scrolling through his phone album. His fingers slid across the screen, making the pictures and videos blur together.

Ren Suiyi seemed to be dazzled by Meng Qi's phone screen. He blinked a couple of times before speaking again. "Still as fond of taking pictures as ever. But..."

Meng Qi: ...

*Don't pause like that! I'm scared!*

"But what?" Meng Qi asked reflexively, his mind racing to figure out what he had done wrong.

"But, it seems like I haven't appeared in your photos for a long time, have I?" Ren Suiyi finally said, as if stating a fact plainly, or perhaps with a hint of grievance.

Meng Qi: ...

*This doesn't really need asking. We both know the answer.* Meng Qi could only respond with a couple of "heh hehs" to brush it off.

As if a switch had been flipped, Ren Suiyi's floodgates opened. Meng Qi thought he would quiet down and continue chatting with the person on his phone who could so easily stir his emotions, but instead, he turned off his screen, adopting a posture as if he wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with Meng Qi.

Meng Qi's heart tightened. He had a feeling the upcoming topic wouldn't be to his liking. Of course, as long as Ren Suiyi was talking, he wouldn't be interested.

Regardless of Meng Qi's thoughts, he couldn't stop Ren Suiyi's desire to speak. Ren Suiyi said, "I used to think you were completely childish, and I always treated you like a little brother from next door. Yesterday, you said I was your big brother from next door. You weren't wrong. Our perceptions of each other are quite consistent."

Meng Qi nodded vigorously, thinking, *Finally, you admit it. This makes things easier.*

But then Ren Suiyi changed his tone, a troubled look appearing on his face. "But lately, somehow, I find it increasingly difficult to see you as just a little brother. I feel like you've grown up overnight, into a, a charismatic man."

To emphasize his feeling, Ren Suiyi stressed the word "man."

But forget about "charismatic." Meng Qi frowned, strongly disagreeing with Ren Suiyi applying that word to him.

"In my eyes, your recklessness has become open-mindedness, your willfulness has become persistence. The immaturity I once saw in you seems to have vanished. You're no longer arrogant, but humble and reserved. You've also learned to consider things from others' perspectives, understanding that relationships require gradual progress, not forceful acquisition... Meng Qi, you've matured."

*Who could withstand such a barrage of compliments!* Meng Qi's face flushed slightly. He silently averted his gaze from Ren Suiyi's mouth, while inwardly grumbling, *Did Ren Suiyi coat his mouth with honey today? How can he be so good at complimenting? He's making me feel so lightheaded I almost lost my bearings.*

But he still had the sense to keep a clear head at critical moments. Meng Qi responded to Ren Suiyi with a look of embarrassment. "No way. It's an illusion. It's all in your head."

"I wish it were all an illusion. Then I wouldn't have to be so confused. I..."

Ren Suiyi was about to say more, but sensing something was wrong, Meng Qi lunged over and covered his mouth, then urgently reminded him, "You're crossing the line, bro. Say any more, and you'll be overstepping!"

Ren Suiyi easily pushed Meng Qi's hand away, then asked him, half puzzled, half delighted, "You know what I was going to say? Does that mean you share the same confusion?"

"—You're overthinking it, bro. I just want to live simply. Complicated things are just burdens to me. I can't handle them, and I don't like them. So don't say any more. If you do, if you do, I'll jump out of the car!" As he said this, Meng Qi even put his hand on the door handle.

Gangzi glanced at Meng Qi through the rearview mirror and quietly let up on the gas.

Meng Qi: ...

Ren Suiyi sighed as he looked at Meng Qi, then spread his hands in a gesture of compromise. "Alright, I'll stop. The weather's nice today. You can have a good time later and enjoy your happy holiday."

Meng Qi nodded in response, his mind weighed down with worry.

He was just a supporting character, after all—how could he possibly draw the male lead's attention? The plot was going completely off the rails, and it freaked him out!

Fortunately, as soon as he got out of the car, he saw Jiang Baixi waiting by the street, grinning like an idiot and waving at Ren Suiyi.

See? With the White Moonlight around, there's no way it'd be his turn. Meng Qi felt a little relieved.

But then his stomach dropped again, because besides Jiang Baixi, standing there by the road was his half-brother, Meng Kaize...