Chapter 81

Chapter 81

◎If you want to carry someone, come to me, not your brother.◎

Once they were out of the Jiang family's sight, Meng Qi immediately deflated. He let go of Ren Suiyi's hand and shuffled forward with his head drooping.

If Meng Kaize hadn't been following behind, he would've stopped right there, grabbed Ren Suiyi by the collar, and demanded to know what exactly he meant by that remark.

He had already promised to forget what needed forgetting. He seemed like a man of his word, a typical CEO type—so why'd he suddenly go off the rails? This was way too thick-faced...

Just as Meng Qi was fuming, Meng Kaize, unable to stop in time, swept past him like a whirlwind. He slammed on the brakes, jogged back, and then draped an arm over Meng Qi's shoulder, panting heavily.

Clearly, Meng Qi had been running so fast while dragging Ren Suiyi that the kid chasing them was nearly worn out! But Ren Suiyi, a step behind, still looked completely unruffled, as if he hadn't been part of the sprint at all. What a contrast—enough to drive a guy crazy! Meng Qi pursed his lips and reached up to pat Meng Kaize on the back.

"Bro, why were you running so fast? You gave me a stitch in my side," Meng Kaize said, once he caught his breath, immediately asking for an explanation.

Meng Qi brushed him off absentmindedly. "Just trying to dodge your Brother Baixi."

"Mom always says you and Brother Baixi are like oil and water—fine apart, but a mess together. She ain't wrong," Meng Kaize said, straightening up and taking a deep breath. After exhaling, he glanced behind him, then turned back and leaned in to whisper, "It used to be Brother Baixi avoiding you. Why are you avoiding him today? And also, what's the secret Brother Sui wanted to tell? Can you share it with me?"

Meng Qi's heart clenched. "You're just a kid. Why so nosy? Careful—knowing too much might stunt your growth."

One upheaval after another, all stirred up by that ever-invisible Ren Suiyi. Fuming, Meng Qi silently flipped him off in his head after speaking to Meng Kaize.

It was the first time he'd ever made such a crude gesture.

But... it felt kinda satisfying.

After letting off steam, his tone softened even when he spoke to Meng Kaize next, and a little secret thrill bubbled up inside him. "Your Brother Baixi's in a bad mood too, so I gotta cut him some slack. Otherwise, he might lose sleep tonight from being so pissed at me."

"If Brother Baixi knew you were being so thoughtful, he'd probably be too happy to sleep," Meng Kaize said, biting his lip again. His eyes darted around for a moment before he snuggled up to Meng Qi and complained, "Bro, I'm almost seventeen. Can you stop treating me like a kid? I don't like it... And I'm not that small either. In ancient times, a kid my age would already have kids who could ride horses, shoot arrows, and go to school..."

Kids...

Those two words hit Meng Qi like an ice pick, stabbing his ear and making him shiver. His thoughts immediately veered toward "pregnancy" and "childbirth complications," filling him with a deep gloom. Just then, a crescent moon in the sky was covered by a dark cloud, as if giving him a warning, making him even more nervous. He couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh, silently wondering if he'd make it through this mess.

Ah, do your best and let fate handle the rest. Take care of what you can, and for the rest... spend more time praying to the Book God for a good outcome. Maybe it'll help a little.

"Alright, little grown-up. I'll watch my mouth from now on. But the most important thing right now isn't that—it's you telling me where you hired those two bodyguards. Better safe than sorry, right? I need to remember their contact info so that if something goes wrong after you leave, I'll know where to find them."

Meng Qi's concern for Meng Kaize wasn't entirely pure. He was subtly trying to extract useful information from him.

But Meng Kaize had no idea about Meng Qi's ulterior motives. So as soon as Meng Qi finished speaking, Meng Kaize stared at him blankly for a few seconds, then a brilliant smile spread across his face. He scrambled onto Meng Qi's back like a monkey, sniffling as he shouted, "Thanks, bro! I knew you were the best!"

Those words made Meng Qi's heart ache, but at the same time, he felt a surge of pride—quickly replaced by a wave of guilt. In those few seconds, his heart had taken the most twisted roller-coaster ride.

Afraid Meng Kaize would notice something off, he quickly pretended to be annoyed and slapped Meng Kaize's arms, which were wrapped around his neck, and said hoarsely, "How about you show your brother some love too? If you keep this up, my back is really going to break."

Meng Kaize didn't pick up on the shift in Meng Qi's mood. He was still chuckling like a carefree little fool, even rubbing his cheek against Meng Qi's neck while flattering him, "My brother's back is like a diamond blade—it won't break that easily."

Meng Qi: ...

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Helplessly amused, Meng Qi hoisted Meng Kaize's bottom up a bit to keep him from sliding down.

Meng Kaize nuzzled against Meng Qi for a while longer, then leaned close to his ear and detailed exactly where and how he had hired the two bodyguards. Meng Qi listened carefully, committing it all to memory. Whenever Meng Kaize glossed over something he urgently needed to know, he would promptly ask a follow-up question.

This behavior only deepened Meng Kaize's misunderstanding.

In Meng Kaize's eyes, at that moment, Meng Qi was like the most devoted and loving older brother, meticulously learning and recording everything about him, afraid that if something went wrong during his trip, he might miss a single useful detail. It moved him so much that he kept squirming around on Meng Qi's back, radiating pure joy.

By this point, Meng Qi was truly in a bind—both mentally and physically.

The mental part goes without saying. As for the physical part: a seventeen-year-old boy's weight and height are already comparable to an adult man's. Carrying him occasionally was fine, but carrying him for this long, especially with the kid squirming like a hyperactive child, shifting his center of gravity from one spot to another before Meng Qi could adjust—it was exhausting. His back ached, and his arms hurt even more.

Just as Meng Qi was about to tell Meng Kaize to stop wriggling, he suddenly felt the weight lift off his back, accompanied by Meng Kaize's startled yelp. Startled, he turned around to see Ren Suiyi grabbing Meng Kaize by the arm with one hand and, with a single pull, yanking him off Meng Qi's back and tossing him onto his own.

The smooth, fluid motion left Meng Qi dumbfounded. He couldn't help but size up Ren Suiyi, his gaze lingering longest on his arm, while silently marveling: With that kind of arm strength, give him a lever, and who's to say he couldn't flip the Earth out of the solar system!

No wonder he's the male lead of this book—damn impressive!

"Haha, let me down, Brother Sui! I can walk on my own..." Meng Kaize started twisting like a pretzel on Ren Suiyi's back, kicking his legs wildly, clearly desperate to get down.

Meng Qi could understand why. After all, he was sprawled on Ren Suiyi's back—the back of someone the younger generation saw as a celestial being, pure and untouchable. Who would dare to climb on that?! Meng Qi certainly wouldn't; he'd be kicking even harder than Meng Kaize.

But Ren Suiyi held Meng Kaize's legs firmly, refusing to let him down, and said, "If you ever want someone to carry you, come to me. Don't keep jumping on your brother's back."

Those words... Meng Qi shot Ren Suiyi a curious glance.

Meng Kaize, meanwhile, just wanted to get off. Hearing this, he agreed without a second thought. "Got it, Brother Sui. From now on, I won't ask anyone to carry me. I have my own legs—I can walk."

"Good boy." Only then did Ren Suiyi set Meng Kaize down, patting him on the head and praising him for being sensible.

For some reason, in that instant, Meng Qi suddenly felt a long-lost warmth—the same kind of care he got from He Cong and Wang Boyuan, who often quietly shielded him from trouble, just like Ren Suiyi had done.

Even though carrying Meng Kaize wasn't really a burden, it still reminded him of his good friends.

Once his feet were on the ground, Meng Kaize immediately scurried back to Meng Qi's side, rubbing against his arm with a mix of lingering fear and a hint of pride, and whispered, "Has Brother Sui changed? He scared me... But hey, bro, am I the first person Brother Sui has ever carried?"

"Probably," Meng Qi replied.

The book hadn't mentioned Ren Suiyi carrying anyone. Since Meng Qi had arrived here, Ren Suiyi hadn't carried anyone either—though he had once held him, but that didn't count as carrying, Meng Qi thought to himself.

"I should have taken a picture of that. I'll show it to Brother Baixi later and make him jealous. He's always bragging to us about how good Brother Sui is to him, right, bro?" Meng Kaize rubbed against Meng Qi's arm again.

Meng Qi's wandering thoughts snapped back. His mouth twitched, and he kindly reminded Meng Kaize, "Maybe your Brother Sui has already carried your Brother Baixi before."

It's just that such interactions are too ordinary for them and too ambiguous to outsiders, so they don't brag about it in front of you.

The next second, Ren Suiyi's "No" and Meng Kaize's "Impossible" rang out simultaneously. Meng Qi's scalp tightened, and his molars ached. He thought, Oh no, oh no, I was gossiping behind his back—how did I forget to lower my voice...

Instead of playing dumb and letting it slide, Meng Kaize, caught red-handed, looked at Ren Suiyi with delight and asked, "Really?"

Meng Qi: ...

He really wanted to sew that little brat's mouth shut with thick twine.

Ren Suiyi first raised an eyebrow at Meng Kaize, then shifted his gaze to Meng Qi and repeated in a firm tone, "Really, no."

Huh?

Meng Qi froze for a moment, then forced a smile and replied, "Oh."

After that, he thought bitterly: Come on, man, didn't you see we were whispering? Telling me so solemnly like that is way too forward—it's making me really awkward...

Author's Note

Revised on October 6, 2025. Keeping quiet.