CHAPTER 408: CHAPTER 408: INVISIBLE

Inside the hotel, the lighting was soft, and he could finally take off his sunglasses.

Yet, his vision was still a blur.

But at least, he could pretend not to be so blind.

Cheng Lie sat beside Yun Shifei and greeted Yun Tiancheng and Xu Ya.

Yun Tiancheng nodded, having noticed Cheng Lie’s car parked outside earlier.

Cheng Lie had already come clean with him before, and Yun Tiancheng knew Cheng Lie had established a career in Beijing.

During the meal, Yun Tiancheng asked about Cheng Lie’s current job, and Cheng Lie responded to each question one by one.

Cheng Lie also inquired about where Yun Tiancheng and Xu Ya planned to go next and whether they wanted to take a walk together.

However, Yun Tiancheng didn’t want these two young ones to tag along as third wheels, and from Yun Shifei’s gaze, he could tell she didn’t want him to play the third wheel either.

Since it seemed both sides were on the same page, they might as well go their separate ways for now.

After the meal, Yun Tiancheng and Xu Ya left first.

Watching their retreating backs, Yun Shifei couldn’t help but pout and glance pitifully at Cheng Lie. "See? My mom and dad are each other’s true partner. I’m just an outsider to them."

She made herself look pitiful, but in truth, Yun Shifei didn’t feel pitiful at all.

Parents were meant to be the closest to each other. At most, she was just the product of their love, not someone who could disrupt their relationship.

It was precisely because of this that she had chosen to come to Beijing for school back then—to put some distance between herself and Yun Tiancheng and Xu Ya.

The things she couldn’t let go of before, she decided to let time carry away slowly.

That’s what Yun Shifei thought.

And that’s exactly what she did.

Hearing her, Cheng Lie turned to look at Yun Shifei.

He reached out and gently ruffled her hair. "To me, you’re not an outsider."

But inside, he felt a pang of sadness.

He couldn’t even see what Yun Shifei looked like at the moment; he could only guess based on her movements and tone of voice.

Yun Shifei didn’t notice anything unusual about Cheng Lie—he acted far too much like a regular person.

They stayed in the restaurant for a little while longer before Yun Shifei said, "Let’s go for a little walk outside?"

"Aren’t you tired?" Cheng Lie asked with a smile.

Yun Shifei shook her head. "Not tired at all. Not even a little bit."

After all, they hadn’t seen each other for so long, and she had thought he might have died.

Now that she had seen him again, she felt like crying.

But of course, crying in front of Yun Tiancheng and Xu Ya wouldn’t have been appropriate.

At this moment, she couldn’t restrain herself any longer and reached out to hook her arms around Cheng Lie’s neck, burying her face into his shoulder.

"I’m just glad you’re okay," she said, tears uncontrollably falling down.

Feeling Yun Shifei’s tears, Cheng Lie’s body stiffened for a moment. He reached out and gently stroked her back, murmuring, "I’m fine. Don’t cry."

Yun Shifei didn’t truly intend to cry; she just needed to let out her emotions.

After a while, she pulled herself out of Cheng Lie’s embrace, wiped away her tears, and said, "I knew it—you couldn’t possibly be in trouble. Xiao Lie, you need to be careful, okay?"

Cheng Lie hummed in response.

He recalled the feeling of holding Yun Shifei just moments ago.

Even though his blurry vision only captured her indistinct outline, he couldn’t shake the impression that she seemed thinner than before.

She must have gone through a lot of stress and hardship during those days of worry.

Cheng Lie pressed his lips together. He couldn’t afford to let her endure such suffering anymore.

Whatever it was, he had to resolve it as soon as possible.

Yun Shifei watched Cheng Lie closely. She vaguely sensed that there seemed to be some distance between them.

Even though they were sitting so close, and even though Cheng Lie hugged her back when she embraced him, it somehow felt different from the warmth they used to share.

He didn’t seem to look at her as intently anymore, and there was a heavy, enigmatic mist veiling his eyes.

Still, Yun Shifei decided she had to tell Cheng Lie about what had happened.

About Mu Chengzhu.

So, she figured she needed to find a quieter place to talk to him.

"Xiao Lie, I have something I want to tell you," she said.

Cheng Lie glanced at her.

After thinking it over, Yun Shifei added, "How about we go back to your place?"

It would definitely be better to talk in his apartment than staying here at this hotel surrounded by people.

She was terrified that someone might overhear her and think she was some kind of monster.

But she had decided that this time, she owed it to herself to trust Cheng Lie.

Unexpectedly, just as she had mustered the courage, Cheng Lie said, "I have something I need to take care of."

Hearing this, Yun Shifei’s heart immediately sank with disappointment.

"Work is that busy?" she couldn’t help but ask.

Cheng Lie could sense the disappointment in her tone, but he remained unmoving and simply hummed in response.

"Alright then, go focus on work," she said with obedient understanding.

Yun Shifei was the picture of sensibility. In the past, Cheng Lie would surely have reached out to pat her on the head, but now he didn’t.

Because, at least for now, he felt he didn’t have the strength to give her the stable, happy future she deserved.

He couldn’t bear to let Yun Shifei share in the burdens he was facing.

Who knew if the person pulling strings from the shadows was still in Beijing, silently watching him? He couldn’t be sure.

Yun Shifei walked Cheng Lie out, reluctantly saying goodbye.

Zhao Pan, watching quietly from the side, felt like sighing. He thought he understood what Mr. Cheng meant.

But even so, he couldn’t help but wonder if this approach might end up hurting Miss Yun.

Still, Miss Yun was truly thoughtful and mature—standing there quietly, even reminding him to take good care of Cheng Lie.

Once the car started moving and Yun Shifei disappeared from sight, Zhao Pan couldn’t help but ask, "Mr. Cheng, didn’t you tell her about your situation?"

"Knowing too much wouldn’t be good for her," Cheng Lie replied, putting his sunglasses back on.

She belonged in the sunlight—a life full of small setbacks, but never dark and tainted like this.

Even to him, these methods were despicable. Who knew what the person in the shadows might do next?

Until they were found, he could only do his utmost to keep Yun Shifei safe.

With that thought in mind, Cheng Lie instructed Zhao Pan to assign a few more people to stay close to Yun Shifei.

After giving his orders, he lowered his gaze and pulled something out of his pocket.

It was the little bunny Yun Shifei had once given him.

Even after falling into the river and losing his phone, he had clung to that little bunny tightly.

But now, after being soaked in water, its colors had faded, and its fur had become rougher.

While Yun Tiancheng and Xu Ya went out happily together, Cheng Lie was swamped with work, leaving Yun Shifei alone and bored. Not wanting to venture out, she returned to the hotel to rest.

As she lay there, thinking about her meeting with Cheng Lie today, she couldn’t ignore the subtle changes in him that she had perceived.

She had made up her mind earlier to tell him everything she knew.

But his rejection had thrown her plans off balance, leaving her unsure of how to proceed.

The more she thought about it, the more troubled she felt.

Her courage only stretched so far. Once interrupted after finally building up the nerve to speak, she found it difficult to summon that bravery again.