Mo Fang had accepted the glass of water and taken a sip but he wasn’t so busy that he wouldn’t realize that he was being stared at. He tried to ignore it for a moment but then still turned to give Si Tao a pointed look. “If there is something you want to say, just say it.”

Si Tao was startled and raised his brows before raising his hands again in defense. “I was just lost in thought.”

“You sure looked like you were lost somewhere on my face though.”

Si Tao could only smile wryly. “Well, maybe I was thinking about you. Anyway …” He wasn’t sure how to say it. After thinking for a moment, he inched closer and gave Mo Fang another deep look. “Xiao Fang, you that … if you’re not doing well, you can always come to me.

“I might not be the most observant when it comes to personal relationships because I spent my time on a hundred different things but I care. I genuinely care about all of my friends. So if you’re not doing well, then I want to be there for you. It doesn’t matter if I can’t do much for you other than literally being in your presence. Even if you just need that, I’m just one call away, alright?”

Mo Fang looked at him and couldn’t help but give a faint smile. He reached out and patted Si Tao’s leg. “I know. I … I just don’t know what I actually want.”

Si Tao nodded and didn’t urge him either. Anyway, he had said his piece. In the future, hopefully, Mo Fang would reach out if he really needed him. Also, he could reach out to him more often by himself. As long as Mo Fang didn’t complain that he felt suffocated, it should be alright.

For the time being, he didn’t say more about the issue and instead switched topics. “Well, do you want to know what the private investigator said?”

Mo Fang put down the glass and turned to Si Tao, his expression a bit worried. He still wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing. If the private investigator had said yes, then he’d go and tell him what he needed to know since Si Tao had already taken the time. If he had said no though … he wasn’t sure if he’d have the strength to reach out to somebody else. To be honest, he probably wouldn’t.

Si Tao didn’t need him to say anything. “As luck would have it, he indeed has some time. I gave him the general rundown of the situation but he still needs to talk to you, of course. I figured you didn’t have much to do these days so I tentatively accepted an appointment for next week.”

“Oh.” Mo Fang blinked his eyes and then looked away. He hadn’t thought everything would go so fast. Now, he suddenly even had an appointment already.

Si Tao leaned forward, trying to get a better look at Mo Fang’s face. “Do you want me to come along?”

Mo Fang hesitated. Honestly, he couldn’t say. If he imagined going there … well, he was afraid he might chicken out when he reached the door and just leave again. In that case, taking someone along might be best, right?

Si Tao also knew everything so it wouldn’t be awkward to talk about it in front of him. In fact, his presence might even calm him down or he could interject if he noticed that he had forgotten something. Yes, it really didn’t sound like a bad idea.

“Alright. Anyway, you’re the one who made the appointment. It might be good to have you there. Do you have time though?”

Si Tao didn’t even think and just nodded. “Sure!” Even if he didn’t have time, he’d make some time. “Didn’t I just promise I’d be there whenever you need me? I’m naturally not going to go back on my word the very next week.

“How about this? I’ll come and get you from your apartment and directly drive us there. If you don’t feel like going home afterward, we can come back here, have a bite to eat, maybe drink something, or just hang out. Later, I’ll bring you back home.”

Mo Fang nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good. Let’s do that.”

Si Tao gave a hum and pulled out his phone. Even though he usually did things whenever he felt like it, that didn’t mean that he didn’t also have some things he had to take care of. Also, it was much too easy to forget something in the span of a week so it was better to set a reminder. Having done that, he slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Alright. That’s decided. Now what?”

Mo Fang raised his brows questioningly in response. “Now what?” He wasn’t quite sure what Si Tao meant.

Si Tao clicked his tongue. “I mean, you’ve finally left your apartment and you’re at my restaurant. But you’ve already eaten, we’ve reminisced a little, and we’ve set everything up for your talk with the private investigator. So, what are you up for now? Let’s do something to take your mind off everything. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Mo Fang smiled faintly. “Take my mind off everything?” Well, it sure sounded nice. If it was possible, he’d definitely say yes. The problem was … he really couldn’t imagine it.

In the end, he sighed and shook his head. “You know, don’t be angry but I don’t think I’m up for much more. I mean, I haven’t just eaten and reminisced with you, I’ve basically run into three of my exes in a row, all in the same place. I just … I actually think I’d rather go home now.”

He looked at Si Tao apologetically, feeling that it couldn’t be easy to be his friend right now. He sure liked to complain a lot when he was out and otherwise, he mostly pulled back from everyone. If it had been him in the past who met a person such as this … he probably wouldn’t have liked them too much. No, instead, he’d have thought they were a nuisance.