Bab 15: Paying a Visit
"We're home!"
Not long after Su Suyin came back from shopping, she heard the crisp voice of her youngest daughter, and her mouth immediately curled up in a fond smile. "My darling baby, you've come back."
"Mother!" Li Chunhua hugged her mother and gave a quick peck on her cheek, making the older woman's smile even wider.
"Look at you. You've already gotten so big, but you still do childish things like this," she reprimanded her daughter with no anger in her voice.
Li Chunhua stuck out her tongue. "I'm forever my mother's baby. I don't care what other people say!"
"Haha, it seems I have spoiled you too much."
"I'm home," Li Junjie finally made his presence known after he made sure they had finished their mother-daughter moment. Su Suyin noticed his son and greeted him with a smile.
"Ah Jie, welcome home."
"Auntie, I'm here too. I'm sorry for intruding again today." From behind Li Junjie came a gentle-looking young man with neat hairstyles. Unlike Li Junjie, his features were much softer, and his smile made people feel at ease around him. His droopy eyes seemed like it was dripping with honey with how sweet he looked. Although he looked as pretty as girls, his voice was deep and firm like any other young man's, and he carried a few boxes in his hand effortlessly before he put them on top of the table.
Su Suyin walked over, and when she saw what was on the box, she frowned a bit. "You don't have to bring anything. You are considered a part of our family already, so there's no need to be so courteous."
Meng Renshu chuckled. "Auntie, you're the one who is too courteous with me. It's just fruit and not an expensive gift at all. I have inconvenienced Auntie a lot, so please don't reject it, or I will be sad by how distant you are to me."
Meng Renshu's gesture flattered Su Suyin, so she didn't argue anymore. "Fine, but next time you don't have to bring anything. We are always glad to have you here."
"Thank you, Auntie." Meng Renshu was about to help Su Suyin to put the fruits into the refrigerator when Li Chunhua hugged his arms.
"Brother Renshu, you said you were coming to see Xiaoyi. Let's go see here now!" Li Chunhua looked up at him with a beaming smile, and Meng Renshu felt his heart thumping loudly in his chest. His arms, which she touched, were burning so hot he could melt.
Meng Renshu was happy Li Chunhua wasn't repulsed by him after his impulsive moment yesterday, but if she kept latching on him like this, he might have gotten worse with his behavior.
He reluctantly pulled his arm out of her embrace and patted her head lovingly. "I'll help Auntie first, and then we can go check on Xiaoyi, okay?"
Su Suyin smiled fondly at the sight of them being so affectionate to each other. "Renshu, it's okay. I can do it by myself. Please go check on Xiaoyi with Xiaohua."
Li Chunhua flashed a triumphant smirk at him. "See? Even mother agrees with me. Let's go!"
Meng Renshu laughed, seeing Li Chunhua jump around like a little squirrel and obediently let her drag him to a familiar room. It wasn't his first time entering the twin's bedroom. He had come here many times since he was a kid, and he had played there with them often. However, this might be his first time entering their room after becoming a high-schooler.
No matter how close they were, he was still aware of the boundaries between men and women, especially now that they had grown up. Usually, he would refuse if Li Chunhua invited him to come to her room, but today he had a valid reason to enter. On top of that, Li Junjie was also following them, so he felt no qualms about entering the girls' room.
A girl with the same face as Li Chunhua lied weakly on the bed in the room. Her face was pale in a sickly color, and her dry lips were chapped. Long and black hair was spilling over the pillow and the bedsheets, making her face look even whiter than it already was. For a moment, Meng Renshu was convinced that Li Chunhua had gotten sick again, and his heart almost stopped.
Only after Li Chunhua rushed forward did he snap out of his daze. "Xiaoyi, we're here." Her voice was laced with deep concern.
Li Caiyi slowly stirred, and her eyelashes fluttered. Those eyelids gradually opened up like a blooming flower, and the movement was so serene and elegant that Meng Renshu couldn't take his eyes off of her.
For as long as he can remember, it has always been Li Chunhua who was bedridden because of her weak body, and Li Caiyi was always the one who loyally stayed by her side and took care of her. Now, their role was reversed, and with how similar their appearance was, he probably couldn't distinguish who was who if he didn't know any better.
"Xiaohua, you're here." Li Caiyi spoke in a hoarse voice. She looked at Li Chunhua before she shifted her gaze in his direction. "Brother Jie and Brother Renshu too."
Meng Renshu didn't know why, but he felt like something was different from how Li Caiyi looked at him. He had always been fond of the twins and treated them like his biological sister. They both reciprocated his care and had always looked up at him with adoration and admiration.
However, Li Caiyi's gaze right now was devoid of those emotions. Her eyes were murky, and a sense of depression oozed out of her when she looked at him as though she were looking at someone she didn't want to meet.
But how could that be? When he saw her yesterday, Li Caiyi was still the same little girl who followed behind him cutely like a little chick. He couldn't think of anything that could make her change her attitude toward him, so he just quickly brushed it off as something her fever had influenced.
"Xiaoyi, how are you feeling? I heard you were sick, so I came here to visit you," Meng Renshu stepped forward worriedly.
"The fever had subsided a little. It's fine," Li Caiyi replied.
"Really? But your face still looked very pale," Meng Renshu unknowingly reached out to check on her temperature, just like he always did. He only wanted to make sure Li Caiyi was fine, but who would have thought that Li Caiyi would avoid him before his hand could touch her?
Not only Meng Renshu but Li Chunhua and Li Junjie were also surprised by Li Caiyi's strong reaction. She didn't only avoid his hand by slightly tilting her head, but she nearly jumped out of her bed, as if she was afraid Meng Renshu would hurt her.
This reaction was so out of her character, and they could only stare at her with wide eyes and a dumb look.
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