Chapter 172

Chapter 172

◎Carrying You Till We Grow Old.◎

Turns out he was judging others by his own petty standards. No matter how busy Ren Suiyi was, he never forgot the things he had been entrusted with. He really ought to apologize to Ren Suiyi for that.

Meng Qi calmed down and guiltily shot a glance at Ren Suiyi, then quickly looked away. Feeling a twinge of guilt, he lowered his head, silently pondering how to voice his next words.

Meng Qi's face gave everything away; one look and Ren Suiyi saw right through him. Amused, he smiled, his eyes crinkling, as he patted Meng Qi's head and replied, "I contacted Li Jinqiu that very night. But for some reason, Yang Yiming didn't head back to the capital until three days ago. Since you didn't want anyone else to know where you are, I never mentioned your name to Li Jinqiu. When he asked if I'd found you, I just said I didn't know where you were and hadn't found you yet. I also specifically told Yang Yiming not to contact you anymore, because his boss is that sly old fox, Li Jinqiu."

And not just sly, but also underhanded, Meng Qi thought, pursing his lips. Then, feeling a bit embarrassed, he shrugged at Ren Suiyi. "Thanks, bro. I didn't even know you'd done so much for me."

"It's nothing. If you want, I can do even more for you." Caught up in the moment, Ren Suiyi bent down to kiss Meng Qi.

The two of them had only just broken the ice, but it felt like they'd been kissing each other for ages.

But halfway through, he suddenly remembered someone else was in the car, so he changed direction and reluctantly kissed Meng Qi's hair instead.

Meng Qi's eyes, which had widened, slowly returned to normal, and his breathing steadied.

The snow was coming down harder. On the narrow mountain road, only a green SUV crawled along.

With no cars ahead or behind, the road in front of the SUV was completely covered in snow, looking like a smooth white satin ribbon. But as the SUV carefully drove by, it left two tracks with tire treads on the pristine snow, like zippers sewn into the endless white satin—playful but with a hint of desolation. Within moments, the heavy snow buried every trace, leaving the vast expanse of white satin untouched, with only a slowly moving green gem embedded in it.

Liang Wenkai was so tense that sweat beaded on his nose, and his hands and feet were stiff and numb. He'd made it through the second half purely on willpower and his knowledge of the road, taking twice as long to barely get the SUV to where the tricycle was.

After getting out, Liang Wenkai jumped up and down several times to relieve his stiffness before walking toward the tricycle, blowing on his hands and saying, "I forgot to bring an umbrella. We'll all end up as snowmen when we get back."

Ren Suiyi took Meng Qi's hand and stepped forward, carefully observing the road ahead for a few seconds before making a decision. "Let's walk back. The tricycle's tires don't grip as well as the SUV's. Riding it back would be too dangerous. Walking is safer."

"Then let's hurry up. We need to move fast; it's almost completely dark." Knowing how treacherous that mountain path was, Meng Qi tugged Ren Suiyi forward, also turning to urge Liang Wenkai to follow.

"Hold on," Ren Suiyi called out, stopping Meng Qi. Once Meng Qi was steady, he let go, quickly stepped in front of him, and crouched down, saying to the stunned Meng Qi behind him, "Get on. I'll carry you."

But with these road conditions, even walking alone was hard. Carrying someone? That would be brutal. He'd probably be drenched after a few steps, his whole body aching. Meng Qi's heart ached for Ren Suiyi, and without thinking, he shook his head and refused. "No, I'll walk with you."

"Don't argue. Get on. If I carry you, I only watch my own steps. If you walk, I have to worry about you too—that wastes time. The darker it gets, the harder the road. The more you refuse, the more time we lose." Ren Suiyi stayed crouched, his tone firm and unwavering, as if he knew Meng Qi would climb on.

Liang Wenkai, who had caught up, also urged, "Let Ren carry you. He's a trained fighter; his balance is solid. Your weight won't be a problem."

As Liang Wenkai's words fell, Meng Qi's gaze swept over Ren Suiyi's broad shoulders, lean waist, and strong legs. He had to agree with Liang Wenkai. Though he still felt bad for Ren Suiyi, he didn't dare or want to hesitate any longer. He swiftly jumped onto Ren Suiyi's back, wrapped his arms tightly around Ren Suiyi's neck, and shouted, "Let's go!"

Ren Suiyi stood up steadily with Meng Qi on his back and then strode forward with a calm, even pace, as if the uneven mountain path were flat ground. His feet crunched in the snow—a warm, romantic tune the earth played just for them.

The snow didn't stop; it just got heavier. Ren Suiyi's hair quickly got covered with snow. Afraid it would melt, Meng Qi kept his head tilted, watching. Whenever the black hair started to disappear, he'd quickly brush it off. After a while, he was more tired than Ren.

Hearing Meng Qi's heavy breathing, Ren Suiyi turned his head slightly and rubbed his nose against Meng Qi's cheek—either to show affection or to check if he was cold.

Meng Qi smiled, his eyes curving, and continued to brush the snow off Ren Suiyi.

"Stop that. A little snow won't hurt. Besides, I'm getting warmer as I walk. Having some snow on my head helps cool me down," Ren Suiyi said.

Meng Qi didn't buy it!

Once the snow melted, it would soak Ren's hair, wet his scalp, and drip down his face. When the cold wind hit, it would be freezing. So no matter what Ren said, Meng Qi kept at it.

"Why not just put the hood on? That sweatshirt has a hood," Liang Wenkai said, reaching from behind Meng Qi. He pulled out the soft, limp hood and flipped it forward, easily covering Ren's head.

Meng Qi: ...

It was because Ren Suiyi's face looked too good against the snowy backdrop that he completely missed that obvious, useful hood.

For a moment, Meng Qi was so embarrassed he didn't know what to do with himself. He hurriedly smoothed out the wrinkles on Ren Suiyi's hood, then buried his face in Ren Suiyi's neck, refusing to lift it again.

"A-Kai, help me pull the hood off and put it on Meng Qi," Ren Suiyi said, shifting Meng Qi's weight upward to leave enough room for Liang Wenkai to act.

Meng Qi immediately tightened his legs around Ren Suiyi's waist and used his hands to protect the hood, now half-covered in snow. He turned his head and said to the eager Liang Wenkai, "Don't listen to him! This hoodie is expensive; I usually can't bear to wear it. If you pull the hood off, it'll be ruined."

"If the clothes are ruined, we can buy new ones. But if you get sick, that's a bigger problem, right?" Liang Wenkai chuckled, leaning in with a mischievous grin.

Meng Qi pursed his lips and pretended to scold him, "You're the face of Sunflower Elementary now. Be serious. Don't stir up trouble."

Seeing Meng Qi flustered, Liang Wenkai laughed even harder. "There's only the three of us on this road. What's there to be afraid of—"

Before he could finish, a voice called out from the distance, obscured by the heavy snow, "Who says there's only the three of you? What are we, chopped liver?!"

That voice!

Meng Qi and Liang Wenkai exchanged looks, both seeing the sudden joy on each other's faces. "It's Qu Liang!" they shouted together.

"Haha, it's me," Qu Liang shouted back.

"Liangzi, why are you here? Where's Brother Yuan? Did he come?" Liang Wenkai yelled back.

From beyond the snow curtain, Qu Liang called back cheerfully, "He's here, he's here! Not just Brother Yuan, but also Miracle Doctor Li! The three of us came to pick you up."

With others coming to meet them, safety was much better—and more importantly, he could walk on his own. So when Meng Qi heard that three people were coming to meet them, he was thrilled. He immediately leaned down and whispered in Ren's ear, "Put me down, bro! You can put me down now!"

"Do you really hate being carried that much?" Ren Suiyi didn't let go, his tone as low and gloomy as the weather.

Meng Qi, ready to jump down, was immediately disarmed by Ren's dejected tone. He stopped preparing to jump and wasn't as cheerful anymore, hastily pledging his loyalty, "How could I hate it? I love it!"

"Then why are you in such a hurry to get down? Am I carrying you uncomfortably?" Ren Suiyi asked again.

Meng Qi replied, "Very comfortable—much more comfortable than when my grandpa carried me. But the reason I want to get down isn't because I don't like it, it's because..." He paused, as if the next words were hard to say, but he forced them out anyway, "I don't want to wear you out."

A smug smile flickered across Ren Suiyi's lips, so brief that Meng Qi, feeling guilty on his back, couldn't see it. "I'm not tired. Let me keep carrying you. I like carrying you. When you're on my back, I feel at ease."

"Is... is that so? Since you're not tired, then carry me if you want," Meng Qi said, slowly lying back down on Ren's broad, warm back, tightening his arms around Ren's neck.

Qu Liang, Zhao Zheyuan, and Li Qingjiang, each holding an umbrella, finally came into view. Liang Wenkai squeezed under Zhao Zheyuan's umbrella, slung an arm over his shoulder, and turned to Qu Liang, saying, "Liangzi, give your umbrella to Young Master Meng. You share one with Miracle Doctor Li. Brother Yuan and I are about the same height, so we'll share one."

"Are you bragging that you and Brother Yuan are both taller than me?" Qu Liang immediately caught Liang Wenkai's mischief, handing his umbrella to Meng Qi while retorting.

Liang Wenkai put on a wronged expression. "Isn't that the truth?"

"Short people are smart, and that's also a fact. Both Miracle Doctor Li and I are smarter than you," Qu Liang shot back, refusing to take the bait and continuing the verbal sparring.

Liang Wenkai chuckled and was about to say something else when Meng Qi jumped in to lighten the mood. "So, smart Liangzi, can you help me with a tough question? How can I convince parents to stop keeping their kids out of school?"