Li Caiyi was out of breath by the time she stopped running. She ran like her life depended on it.
That was a horrible experience. Li Caiyi quickly erased Fu Shen Qiang and his corny line from her mind while silently reflecting on her mistake. She promised herself that she would ask more subtly next time.
After she calmed down a bit, she checked on her note again.
'The next one is Mo Shen Qiang?'
Li Caiyi noticed both students had 'Shen Qiang' as their given name.
Shen Qiang did not elaborate if the name he told her was his full name or not, so Li Caiyi could only check various possibilities haphazardly. Shen Qiang might not have given her his full name back then. Part of it must be because he was cautious of her, so Li Caiyi could not blame him, but it would be nice if 'Shen Qiang' were actually his full name.
Thinking about her last failure, Li Caiyi's head cooled down and became more alert. Her heart was still brimming with anticipation, but she was not as eager as before.
Climbing the stairs to the third floor, where the third-year class was, Li Caiyi could feel people's gaze on her. It was rare for a second-year student to wander around on the senior floor, so she became the center of attention once again.
Li Caiyi wanted to flee, but she pushed herself once she thought that Shen Qiang might be somewhere on the same floor.
'Endure it, Li Caiyi. This is nothing.'
Li Caiyi did not know how she did it, but she finally arrived in front of the 3-B classroom. It was right beside Li Junjie and Meng Renshu's class, doubling the pressure on her. She hoped her brother and Meng Renshu were not in the classroom right now.
She tried to maintain a casual face, but anyone could tell she was nervous. She moved stiffly like a broken robot, so a kind senior with glasses took pity on her and approached her first with a polite smile. "Hello? Are you in your second year? Are you looking for someone?"
"Oh!" Li Caiyi was very thankful someone came to her first. On top of that, this senior looked like a kind person, so her heart calmed down slightly. "I'm looking for Senior Mo Shen Qiang. Is he in the class right now?"
"Aren't you… Li Junjie's little sister?"
"Yes, I'm Li Caiyi."
"Your sister just came here recently. What a coincidence."
Li Caiyi's smile froze when she heard that. "Really? Do you know why she came here?"
"It's the same as you. She was looking for Mo Shen Qiang."
Li Caiyi recalled the girl in 2-C class unusual reaction earlier, and Feng Nian's advice suddenly played in her mind again. Although she did not believe that Li Chunhua would harm her, she could not deny that her sister had been acting suspiciously.
What was Li Chunhua trying to do? She once said she wanted to meet Shen Qiang, but Li Caiyi did not think she was serious about it.
A sense of doubt and apprehension grew inside her. Li Caiyi doubted she could look at her sister in the same way again if she let her doubt grow, but if Feng Nian was right, it meant that Li Chunhua was hiding something from her, even in her previous life.
That thought terrified her.
"Li Caiyi? Do you still want to meet Mo Shen Qiang? He is just returning from the toilet; want me to call him for you?"
It snapped Li Caiyi out of her daze, and she hurriedly nodded her head. "Yes, please. Thank you, Senior."
The senior with glasses went to a guy standing in the back, then said something while pointing at Li Caiyi. Later, the guy approached her.
"Do you need me for something?"
Mo Shen Qiang was tall and had messy, curly hair. Li Caiyi could not see his face properly because his bang covered his eyes, but there was something in how this person talked that sounded subdued. The way he quietly waited for her to answer was similar to Shen Qiang.
"Uhm, actually, I was searching for a person with the name Shen Qiang, so I might need to ask you a few questions. Do you mind helping me a bit, Senior?"
Mo Shen Qiang tucked his hand into his pocket. "I already answered a few questions from your sister. Is there still more?"
"Ah, is that so? Then can you tell me what questions did my sister ask you? So I won't need to repeat the same question."
"She mostly asked about my relationship with you. I already told her I do not know you personally and have never talked to you. Well, until now, that is."
"I see. Did she ask anything else?"
"Not really. She left after listening to my answer."
Li Caiyi became even more doubtful now. Why would Li Chunhua sneak behind her back to find out who Shen Qiang was? She must know that Li Caiyi would not answer. That was why she acted by herself.
In this case, it was not like Li Caiyi tried to hide Shen Qiang, but rather because she did not know where Shen Qiang was right now.
However, trying to do this without her knowing was already suspicious by itself, but Li Chunhua also interrogated Mo Shen Qiang if they had some kind of relationship. That was just….
"So? What do you want to ask? I'm actually busy playing games with my friends right now."
"Oh, I'm sorry for spacing out!" Li Caiyi returned her focus and asked him, "Please do not think weirdly about this, but do you like peppermint, Senior Mo?"
"Hmm, so-so, I think? I do not hate it, but if there is any other flavor, I will not necessarily go for it."
That was a bland answer, but Li Caiyi did not give up. "What about mooncakes?"
"The same answer as before."
"Do you know Yueguang Noodle House? Have you ever been there before?"
"Never heard of it."
"Euhm, the next question might be a bit personal. Please do not get offended. Do you currently have a girlfriend or someone you like?"
Mo Shen Qiang, who barely showed any reaction, looked surprised this time. "Do I have to answer that?"
As expected, this question was a bit too much. Li Caiyi did not want to be rude, so she held herself back and asked another question instead, "What style do you prefer? A simple style? Or a more modern style? What color do you like?"
"Huh?" Mo Shen Qiang's face turned awkward after Li Caiyi's barrage of questions.
Li Caiyi was too immersed in finding the truth; she accidentally went too far in her questioning. She also did not notice that someone was standing behind her, looking at Mo Shen Qiang with a chilling and threatening gaze. Mo Shen Qiang saw that, and he panicked.
"I have to go now," Mo Shen Qiang wanted to leave as quickly as possible, but Li Caiyi held him back by his wrist.
"Please, do not go just yet! I promise I will leave after I hear your answer."
Mo Shen Qiang was too flustered, so he unknowingly used too much force when he shook her hand away. Li Caiyi was not ready for it and staggered forward.
She might have fallen to the floor if not for a pair of hands that circled her waist and shoulder, holding her in place. It happened in a split second; Li Caiyi could barely register it.
When she came to her senses, she heaved a sigh of relief and wanted to thank the person behind her. However, she soon realized that the person behind her pulled her a bit too tightly against themselves; she could not move at all.
"Xiaoyi, are you okay?!"
The voice above her head made a chill run down her spine.
Li Caiyi slowly looked up, and her eyes met with Meng Renshu's concerned one.