The restaurant Dai Zhiqiang brought Li Caiyi next was Yueguang Noodle House. She was somewhat surprised when he said he wanted to eat there because it was coincidentally the same as their date in a previous life.
First, they went to the amusement park and then ate in Yueguang. It was precisely the same spot and order.
"It's been a while since I came here. I wonder if the taste of this place has changed or not."
Dai Zhiqiang's words made her smile. "I come here frequently, and I can assure you that their original taste hasn't changed at all, but the quality has improved a lot since the last time you eat here, for sure."
"Really? Then, I can't wait to try it."
Li Caiyi had a crazy thought just now. What if Dai Zhiqiang remembered what happened in their previous life and deliberately took her to places where they made memories together?
She immediately brushed off that wishful thinking. It was silly of her to even think like that. If Dai Zhiqiang truly regained the memory of his past life, why didn't he say anything to her? There was no reason why he would hide it from her because Li Caiyi wasn't exactly being subtle when she inquired him about his dreams.
They entered the place together and sat on the table in one of the corners. Li Caiyi recommended an excellent menu to him, and soon their order came.
"Hmm, you are right. The noodles in this place only become better and better."
Li Caiyi puffed out her chest, somehow feeling proud of Zhou Ya's effort and achievement. "Right? You should introduce this place to your friends or colleagues."
Dai Zhiqiang chuckled. "I'll do that next time. Did you always come here alone to eat?"
"No. I usually came here with Xiaohua or sometimes with Feng Nian, Chen Ruolan, or Zhou Ya. Just whoever is available for me to drag." Li Caiyi answered before raising her bowl to drink the noodle soup.
"What about Meng Renshu?"
Li Caiyi choked on the noodle soup this time. Again, this man should stop asking things randomly like that while she had something in her mouth.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you with that question. I'm just wondering if you…." Dai Zhiqiang hesitated a bit before continuing, "Are you still in contact with Meng Renshu until now?"
Li Caiyi wiped her mouth with a tissue before replying. "Since you work in an intelligence trading business, I see no meaning in hiding from you. Yes, I'm still contacting Brother Renshu regularly."
"I see," Dai Zhiqiang replied dejectedly.
"But we haven't met each other for a long time. The last time we met was last year when he returned to celebrate my and Xiaohua's birthday. Come to think of it, I wonder how he is doing there?"
"Are you going to call him after this?" Dai Zhiqiang's tone was a little anxious.
Li Caiyi put down the tissue she used before calmly replying. "Yes, but what is it for you? We have broken up, and you are the one who said we should slowly 'mend' our relationship. I can contact whoever I want, right? Just like how you will still keep in touch with Xia Rouyue."
Dai Zhiqiang had no words to refute that, so he changed his question. "When will he come back for good?"
"I don't know. After getting his bachelor degree, he immediately pursued a master degree because he didn't want to waste time. I guess he will return once he has completed his master study?"
Dai Zhiqiang felt unsettled hearing that. Even now, Meng Renshu was still the biggest thorn in his flesh. If he could, he wanted to make the latter unable to return forever.
However, he knew he couldn't do that because Li Caiyi needed him.
Thinking like that only made him more upset, so he stopped talking.
"While we are here, how about we continue our unfinished talk earlier?" Li Caiyi looked at him seriously to convey that she meant business from then on.
"Right. What do you want to know?"
"About Huang Zhen and you. What happened between the two of you in the past years?"
"Nothing. We would clash from time to time whenever I did my job. Ye Huizhong still hasn't reclaimed what Huang Zhen stole from him, so we have been actively tracking her down." Dai Zhiqiang crossed his arms. "Li Caiyi, I also found out about this 'investigation' you have been doing all this time."
Li Caiyi knew she wouldn't be able to hide it forever, especially when she had told Ye Huizhong, his direct superior, about it. But when he directly pointed it out like that, it still made her heart almost fall to the ground. It felt like she had been caught doing something terrible.
"Isn't that why you need his help? You always told me there was something you needed to do. But I never expected it would be about something as big as this. Do you realize what kind of danger you are walking yourself into?"
"Of course, I know what I'm doing. I won't continue doing this for six years if I'm not serious," Li Caiyi put her hand on her chest, staring at Dai Zhiqiang straight. "Now that you already know about it, will you tell me to stop? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I won't stop."
"I understand this concerns Li Chunhua's longevity, so let me do it in your stead."
"Why? Why should I let you do it for me? We are not in that kind of relationship, right?"
Dai Zhiqiang gritted his teeth in frustration. "This had nothing to do with that."
"But it is. It means you have no right to tell me what to do here." Li Caiyi argued stubbornly, making him sigh helplessly.
"Li Caiyi, are we going to fight again?"
"If you keep insisting on telling me what to do, then yes. Isn't it enough that you keep barging and disappearing from my life all you want? I won't tolerate your selfishness more than this."
"Alright, then, at least let me help you." Dai Zhiqiang finally relented.
Li Caiyi stopped herself for a moment to think. "What are you going to help me with?"
"You plan to investigate using Meng Yaoshu as your lead. Then I will support you and help you check for others who might be involved with this organization. Meng Yaoshu couldn't possibly be the only big fish involved in this. However, he is undoubtedly one of the most powerful ones."
His offer was so tempting she almost agreed on the spot. With Ye Wang's connection, it would be easier to gain the information she needed.
"Hmm, let me ask this, just in case. But just how big is your influence on Ye Wang currently? Even if you want to help me, without Ye Huizhong's permission, you won't be able to use Ye Wang's resources."
"Ye Huizhong is still technically my boss, but for now, I hold considerable authority within the group. Since this is a secret, I won't divulge more than this. Just know I will be a better ally for you than Meng Renshu."
Was that a sense of competitiveness she just sensed? Dai Zhiqiang and Meng Renshu never liked each other, so it was hard to imagine they would work together in this. But Li Caiyi couldn't deny that she didn't feel like she would lose to anyone with both of them on her side.
Of course, she would also do her best to help in any way possible.
"Alright. So what plan do you have in mind?" Li Caiyi asked as she leaned her body forwards.