Although the decor was simple, it was clean and tidy, with everything placed in an orderly fashion, giving off a sense of 'home' and warmth.
He hadn't stayed at Shi Ran's place for long back then, but after leaving, countless times in that empty, sprawling villa, he would recall the warmth of this place.
He had even grown to like the atmosphere of a small, crowded room filled with people.
"What did Sister Wei want me to tell you?"
Shi Ran walked to the entryway, changed into slippers, and padded over to the sofa, sitting down.
"She..."
Tang Si paused, lowered his gaze, his dark pupils darting around. He said, "Actually, there are many things you don't know. But this time, Little Chili contacted me to ask you to go with me to find her. As for the company matters, I'll arrange for someone to help you manage them..."
As he spoke, Tang Si immediately added, "This is Little Chili's idea."
Originally, Tang Si hadn't intended to take Shi Ran away from Lan Cheng, but Huo Xiao Hua, that scoundrel, relentlessly pestered her. That old fox, so cunning and calculating, how could Shi Ran be his match?
Tang Si was worried about Shi Ran, and even more so about Yuan Wei.
After much deliberation, he decided to take Shi Ran away from Lan Cheng.
"If Sister Wei wanted me to find her, why didn't she contact me directly but instead contacted you?" Shi Ran didn't quite trust Tang Si.
Even though she knew that no matter how much of a scoundrel Tang Si was, he wouldn't sell her out, she still had an instinctive suspicion.
"She's with my second brother right now. Everyone in Lan Cheng knows my second brother is 'dead,' so many people are keeping an eye on Little Chili. If she contacted you, are you sure you wouldn't expose my second brother's identity?"
Tang Si apologized to Qing Mu Ye ten thousand times in his heart.
He was truly at his wit's end; otherwise, he wouldn't have betrayed his own second brother.
"What? President... President Qing, he, he's not... mmmph..."
The bombshell news came too suddenly. Shi Ran found it hard to believe. She got up in a daze, sat next to Tang Si, grabbed his sleeve, and questioned him.
However, before she could finish, Tang Si covered her mouth, "Are you trying to die!"
Chided by him, Shi Ran's thoughts returned. She immediately fell silent, nodding, indicating she wouldn't speak further.
At this moment, both of them realized their relationship had become a bit intimate.
Shi Ran's fair, oval face, as if in first love, was tinged with a blush. She immediately let go of Tang Si's hand, lowering her head, afraid to look at him.
Tang Si was a head taller than Shi Ran. Because Shi Ran had her hair in a ponytail, he could clearly see the blush extending from her earlobes to her neck.
But it was precisely this unintentional shyness that made Tang Si's adrenaline surge, and he suddenly felt unwell.
"Cough cough..."
He turned his head, cleared his throat, and returned to the topic, "Some things are inconvenient to tell you now, but Little Chili's intention is for you to go with me. She's encountered problems over there and needs our help."
"Oh, okay. When do we leave?"
Shi Ran was still immersed in the immense shock that Qing Mu Ye was alive. After a long while, she hadn't recovered, and had even forgotten her earlier shyness.
Shi Ran had followed Meng Jing Wei for over two years and trusted her implicitly. Qing Mu Ye had also treated Shi Ran very well, and she was grateful.
Now that she knew both of them were in danger, Shi Ran naturally chose to help without hesitation.
Just now, Tang Si was still worried that Shi Ran might refuse. He was truly surprised that she agreed so readily.
"Tomorrow. But this trip will take at least two months, and we won't be able to contact home. It's best you inform your relatives and friends today, otherwise, they might think you've gone missing and report you to the police, which would be troublesome."
"Got it."
Shi Ran nodded, then asked a few more questions before starting to call her parents and friends, telling them that the company was sending her abroad for closed training and she might not be able to contact them for two to three months.