Chapter 150

Chapter 150

◎No Consideration!◎

“I don’t care what you think; I care what I think.” Meng Qi, his mind heated, shot back a retort.

He knew the situation wasn’t suitable for jokes, but his mouth had once again outpaced his brain, blurting out the words before he could stop himself. He stood there, glancing uneasily at Ren Suiyi, inwardly lamenting that he wanted to sacrifice his runaway mouth to the Book God.

But Ren Suiyi’s reaction was not what Meng Qi had anticipated. Instead of getting angry, he lowered his gaze and asked in confusion, “What?”

Wow, awesome! Thank the author for not writing real-world celebrity memes into this novel! Relieved, Meng Qi lifted his chin and replied with a straight face, “Nothing—just an internet meme that slipped out. No special meaning.” Fearing Ren Suiyi would press further, he hurriedly pointed at the water surface in feigned surprise, “Hey, there’s a snake over there! It’s so long!”

It was actually a dead branch floating on the river.

Ren Suiyi, who had his back to the river, didn’t know Meng Qi was tricking him. Believing there was indeed a water snake, he turned around while pulling Meng Qi protectively to his chest, his face full of caution as he scanned the river. When he saw what had startled Meng Qi, he looked down at him helplessly, then after a long moment, shook his head with a smile. “When did you become nearsighted? How could you mistake such an obvious branch for a snake?”

Meng Qi pretended he had just realized it was a branch, not a snake. He laughed twice to ease the awkwardness and quickly made up an excuse. “The wind blew the branch, and I thought it was a snake moving. Since it’s not, that’s even better—let’s go catch fish.”

“It does look a bit like a snake, but snakes are hibernating at this time of year, and they wouldn’t be here…” Ren Suiyi, while explaining, ruffled Meng Qi’s hair, but he stopped mid-sentence, suddenly letting go of Meng Qi. He stepped forward, picked up a small stone from the ground, and threw it forcefully into the river.

Meng Qi thought Ren Suiyi was just playing around, but the stone only produced a failed skip. He tilted his head and glanced at Ren Suiyi, about to mock his lack of skill, when the next second, a large silver carp floated to the surface, belly up.

Catching this out of the corner of his eye, Meng Qi spun to face the river, utterly stunned. “Impressive!” No wonder he’s the protagonist—at least two tiers above Liang Wenkai and Zhao Zheyuan! Meng Qi clapped his hands loudly and gave Ren Suiyi a double thumbs-up.

Ren Suiyi lifted his chin slightly. “Not bad.”

“Not bad? This is amazing! If the entire school of Sunflower Primary had a fish-catching competition with you, you’d definitely take the championship.” Meng Qi praised as he rushed toward the riverbank, eager to scoop up the fish. What if it wasn’t dead, just stunned? It could escape any moment. He couldn’t let his chance at tofu fish soup slip away.

But as soon as he assumed a sprinting stance, Ren Suiyi grabbed him and held him in place, then scolded him coldly, “Stay put. Don’t move.”

That stern expression and intimidating aura had completely transformed from the man who had just been smiling faintly a moment ago.

What’s this all about now? Meng Qi pouted.

“Did you take Elder Dong’s words as a joke? The river water is too cold; you can’t go in. If you really want to play in the water, wait until you’ve fully recovered.” As Ren Suiyi spoke, he had already rolled up his sleeves. He walked to a big tree by the river, jumped up, and quickly snapped off a branch as thick as a thumb and over a meter long to use as a fishing tool.

Elder Dong had indeed warned Meng Qi to keep warm and not catch a cold. A cold during pregnancy is also a troublesome illness, as most medicines can’t be taken, and the ones that can are very slow-acting… Thinking of this, Meng Qi silently tightened the dark blue suit jacket he was wearing and planted his feet more firmly.

In a daze, Ren Suiyi had already scooped up the big fish and tossed it far onto the bank. It landed right at Meng Qi’s feet.

Sure enough, it wasn’t dead. The moment it hit the ground, it arched its body and bounced into the air, almost hitting Meng Qi’s leg. Startled, Meng Qi dodged sharply sideways, not noticing the small stones beside him, and tripped. He was about to have a close encounter with the weed-covered, gravel-strewn ground.

In a flash, Ren Suiyi rushed to Meng Qi’s side, reached out, and effortlessly caught him in a spin, just like in TV dramas, pulling Meng Qi into his arms.

Meng Qi felt a sudden warmth then a coolness on his forehead—something soft pressed against it, then left in an instant.

If his senses weren’t mistaken, it was probably, maybe, perhaps Ren Suiyi’s lips.

…I’ll never say those TV drama scenes are too contrived again. It turns out they really happen in real life… For a moment, Meng Qi was mortified. His entire forehead began radiating intense heat from the point of contact.

But despite the embarrassment, he was more relieved that Ren Suiyi’s lips had touched his forehead, not his lips. That would have been not just awkward, but the height of cliché—the cliché to end all clichés! He could accept this.

“Thanks, bro. How about loosening up a bit? You’re squeezing the breath out of me.” Meng Qi pressed his hands against Ren Suiyi’s forearms around his waist, trying to push him away.

But Ren Suiyi wouldn’t listen. Instead of letting go, he held tighter, leaving Meng Qi red-faced and breathless, his heartbeat accelerating.

“Ren Suiyi! Let go now! If you don’t, you’re really going to kill me—cough, cough—too tight…” Meng Qi struggled.

Only then did Ren Suiyi release one arm, giving Meng Qi room to breathe. But when he saw Meng Qi avert his eyes, he used his free hand to pinch Meng Qi’s chin, forcing him to look at him. In Meng Qi’s shifting gaze, he asked in a low, deep voice, “You still haven’t answered my question.”

“Wh…what question?” By then, Meng Qi’s mind had turned to mush. When had he ever been held in such an aggressive posture, or stared at with such intense heat? He was flustered and overwhelmed, to the point where all his brain cells had gone on strike.

Ren Suiyi patiently explained, “I asked if you could reconsider our relationship. Hmm? Can you?”

This question again…

Hadn’t he changed the subject? Why had it come back around?

Meng Qi used the last shred of clarity to resist the strength of Ren Suiyi’s fingers. Using all his might, he turned his face away and tilted his head back, trying to break free from Ren Suiyi’s arms. This posture muddled his thoughts; he couldn’t concentrate on the problem.

“Answer me quickly, or I’ll have to punish you.” Ren Suiyi tightened his arm slightly, his mouth close to Meng Qi’s ear, and spoke in an even lower, utterly non-threatening tone.

Meng Qi raised both hands, cupped Ren Suiyi’s face, and pushed it back, pleading, “I’ll talk! I’ll talk right now! But first, back off. Don’t stand so close.”

This time, Ren Suiyi actually let go of Meng Qi and stepped back.

Freed, Meng Qi took two deep breaths of fresh air, finally clearing his mind. He couldn’t help thinking how cheesy this “domineering CEO combo move” was. Was this the same routine he used when pursuing Jiang Baixi in the original story? Didn’t the author feel embarrassed writing it?

Whatever, what did it have to do with him? Once he cut ties with Ren Suiyi, whoever wanted to be cheesy could be cheesy…

Composing himself quickly, Meng Qi organized his thoughts before speaking. “No need to reconsider. I think things are fine as they are. I don’t like being tied down. And more importantly, I don’t like you anymore—definitely, certainly, absolutely.”

Ren Suiyi remained unfazed by Meng Qi’s “don’t like you anymore.” Perhaps he still thought Meng Qi was saying the opposite, believing it impossible for Meng Qi to give up his feelings so soon. So, with the calm confidence of someone who’s already won, he smiled at Meng Qi and said, “Feelings can be rekindled. I promise you’ll be free with me—I won’t restrain you or casually overrule your decisions.”

Won’t casually overrule my decisions? Then what are you doing right now? I’ve already said “no,” and you’re still going on about “feelings can be rekindled”… Also, don’t you remember who Jiang Baixi is? A man with two boats is a terrible man! Meng Qi pressed his lips together, his eyes showing seven parts discontent and three parts disdain.

Ren Suiyi snorted with a laugh, curled his middle finger, and lightly flicked Meng Qi on the forehead. “What kind of expression is that? Do you think my request is too much?”

Meng Qi didn’t dodge in time. Frowning, he rubbed the spot where it hurt, glaring at Ren Suiyi with his big, black-and-white eyes, thinking, Of course it’s too much! How could it not be?

Not to mention whether this move would push him back into the fire pit he had just barely escaped, but the matter of being a third party? He would never do that, no matter what. He had principles. And whenever third parties were brought up, he would gnash his teeth in hatred, always remembering a teacher who had been especially kind to him.

That happened in his third year of middle school, but he would remember it until he was old.

His homeroom teacher at the time was a female teacher who loved to smile. She was especially caring toward him, always asking how he was doing, and she also scolded harshly those who bullied him in class, no matter how powerful their connections were or how bad their attitude.

Such a teacher, who loved life and her job, was eventually tormented by her cheating partner, almost losing her job. Though she eventually walked out of that failed marriage and gradually regained her vitality with the help of family and friends, the pain didn’t disappear, the memories didn’t fade, and the psychological scars would last a long, long time…

Every time he thought of it, Meng Qi felt sorry for that teacher. He would never become the executioner of someone else’s happiness.

Lost in thought for a while, Ren Suiyi ran his fingers through Meng Qi’s hair and smoothed it back. When Meng Qi looked up at him, he asked again, “What part do you think is too much? Tell me, I’ll listen.”

Whether he faced the knife head-on or cowered, he’d choose to die with clarity!

Summoning his courage, Meng Qi asked Ren Suiyi directly, “You say you like me. Then what about Jiang Baixi? Where do you put him?”

Ren Suiyi was taken aback by the question, staring at Meng Qi as if he’d seen a ghost.

Ha, I’ve hit a nerve! Meng Qi thought indignantly.

Ren Suiyi quickly recovered, and with an incredulous expression, he countered, “What does this have to do with Baixi? He’s at his home, where else could he be?”

Look at that, “Baixi, Baixi,” calling him so intimately…

“Dare you say he’s not living in your heart? Everyone in the capital knows that the white moonlight in Young Master Ren’s heart is Jiang Baixi. And now you tell me you like me? Hah, who would believe that!”