One person took the umbrella, and the other took the tissues. After Ren Baiping had dried his shoulder with the tissues, he asked, "Weren't you on the phone just now?"

Reminded by Ren Baiping, Cheng Qicai suddenly remembered that she had put her phone in her pocket while getting Ren Baiping some paper.

She quickly took her phone out of her pocket and saw that the call was still going on.

"Hello, Mr. Gu, are you still there?" Cheng Qicai asked cautiously.

There was no sound from the other end, and just as she thought no one was there and was about to hang up, she heard Gu Rongqi's deep voice: "Here."

After Gu Rongqi uttered that word, the two fell silent again.

In the end, Cheng Qicai gave in and said in an upbeat tone, "I promised Ren Baiping I'd go out to dinner later, so I'm afraid I can't keep my appointment with you. Thank you for your kindness, maybe next time."

"Okay! When will you be back? It's not safe to come back too late." Gu Rongqi asked again.

"Wait until the rain stops, then we'll eat before we look at it. Ren Baiping will take me back later."

This time, the voice on the other end paused for a long time, "...Okay."

After hanging up the phone, Cheng Qicai realized that during her conversation with Gu Rongqi, her hands had been clenched into fists in her pockets, and her palms were damp with sweat.

She finally managed to fool them.

Because Ren Baiping was very close, he overheard the phone conversation even though he didn't want to. He asked Cheng Qicai, "What's wrong? Does your boss want to treat you to dinner?"

Cheng Qicai nodded silently, her voice tinged with guilt: "I'm sorry, I used you as a shield just now."

“It’s alright,” Ren Baiping turned to look at her. “It’s just that you can’t keep making excuses to hide like this. My shield can’t be used forever.”

Cheng Qicai sighed, "But I don't know what else I can do besides hide?"

She admitted to being selfish, partly because she genuinely didn't know how to handle the situation, and partly because she didn't want to give up her job until she found a new one.

The thought of having to find a job like she did after graduation made her feel suffocated.

Why don't we wait until she has a confirmed job before talking about it?

"What are your thoughts?" Ren Baiping asked.

Cheng Qicai paused for a moment, then the words that rolled out of her throat were somewhat difficult to utter, "I...we're not suitable."

Seeing Cheng Qicai's expression, Ren Baiping comforted her, "Maybe it's not that bad. You see, you were also afraid to talk to me about being friends back then, but nothing happened in the end, right? Be brave, many things aren't as bad as you think."

"Really?" Hearing Ren Baiping's words, she was somewhat tempted.

Gu Rongqi had always been very good to her. The thought of exposing this matter made her worry that Gu Rongqi would treat her coldly or like a stranger...

It felt like touching a cactus; not only did it hurt, but every time I touched it, a continuous pain would follow.