Rebirth: Once Again With You

The school felt different when no one was in it. She could hear what happened in the auditorium since the speaker delivered the speech through the school ground.

Li Caiyi was sure her friends were probably looking for her. She would apologize to them later.

"In my previous life, I never skipped a graduation event before. So this is how it feels to be outside at times like this."

Li Caiyi stopped when she passed the stairs leading to the rooftop.

Once, she used to come up so she could spend time with Meng Renshu by helping him take care of the plants. After she regressed, she didn't think she ever took a step in there anymore.

Curiosity got the best of her, so she began to climb up. Fortunately, the door was unlocked, and she effortlessly pushed it open.

The wind up there was strong. It blew past her and messed up her hair. She had to hold it down with her hands.

When it finally subsided, she raised her head and saw an unbelievable sight in front of her.

Someone was standing on the rooftop's railing with his back on her, gazing at the view below fearlessly. He was wearing a black windbreaker, and inexplicable loneliness could be sensed from his back.

Li Caiyi's heart skipped a beat. Out of all places, she didn't think she would meet him again here. This scene reminded her a lot of the first time he met her.

The detached air around him made her restless, like he was going far away from her.

"Zhiqiang?"

She called out to him in a soft voice. And he slowly turned her head at her. There was no surprise or confusion on his face, only tranquility.

Unlike in her previous life, where she met him in bad weather, he basked under the blinding sunlight this time.

Li Caiyi had so much she wanted to ask him.

Where has he been in the past few weeks?

Why didn't he return to Ye Wang?

Why did he refuse to meet her?

What was he doing here all alone?

He stood on the railing with minimum footing. Added to how the wind blew intensely, he could fall to his demise if he lost his balance even for a second.

It couldn't be that he wanted to end his life again?

No, she couldn't let that happen. Even though she had tried so hard to prevent it from happening.

"Zhiqiang, it's dangerous there. How about you come down?" Li Caiyi asked in a shaky voice. She reached out her hand while walking over to him cautiously. "Here. Grab my hand, and let's talk. I miss you so much."

However, Dai Zhiqiang didn't answer and only looked down at her coldly. It was very different from his usual self, and she began to doubt if something had happened to him.

"Are you still angry with me? Because I'm too stubborn and leave on my own like that?"

Dai Zhiqiang: "...."

His expression was unchanged as he kept staring at her with those frosty eyes. Li Caiyi felt unsettled but steadily took a step forward. One step at times.

"If you are dissatisfied with me, I will listen to your complaints. But can you just come down from there first? You are making me nervous…."

Li Caiyi stood below him, but he didn't intend to move. When she was close enough, she grabbed her chance and pulled him down by his hand. He didn't struggle and fell on her easily as if he had been waiting for it.

His heavy body fell on her smaller frame. Unable to withstand the weight, Li Caiyi gasped when they toppled down to the ground together.

She braced herself for the impact but later realized that her fall was cushioned by him.

"Ugh…" He groaned in pain, and Li Caiyi looked up in a panic.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pull you hard—"

Her words were stopped when she noticed his face was so close to her.

When was the last time she had a chance to carefully admire his perfectly sculpted face? He had always been handsome, but ever since he joined Ye Wang, he had this kind of dangerous and mysterious charm that made him irresistible.

Li Caiyi's heart raced, feeling his warm arms wrapping around her waist.

Dai Zhiqiang said nothing as his deep eyes locked on her lips. She held her breath and blushed slightly under his scorching gaze.

She didn't expect her little adventure around the school would lead her to him. Charmed by him, she slowly raised her hand and caressed his jawline, enjoying the roughness of it.

"Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Dai Zhiqiang tightened his hold on her and pulled her closer so their bodies were practically glued together. His hand moved tantalizingly slow and felt her back, causing shivers to run down her spine.

"Zhi…" she let out an involuntary whine, wanting him to stop teasing her.

His silence made her anxious. She took some courage and kissed his underjaw. The position made it easier for her to do so.

The kiss was light and didn't last long, but she could see his adam's apple bob up at the contact. Li Caiyi smiled and placed a gentle kiss there too.

They had shared more intimate gestures than this before. Yet the fact that he was still affected by this somehow made her happy.

Her hands, which were pressed against his chest, slowly wrapped around his waist as she nuzzled her head deeper into his embrace. "Please talk to me. Do you know how much I'm worried about you?"

"....If you are with me, you will only get hurt."

Li Caiyi snapped her head upwards. He finally talked to her!

"Zhi, everything is all Huang Zhen's fault. And I'm responsible for my choice back then. I got kidnapped because I fell for his trap. It wasn't your fault!"

"....Yi Yi, are you really happy being with me?"

"Of course!" Li Caiyi answered immediately, without hesitation.

However, Dai Zhiqiang's face became gloomier instead. "If only I can ignore your pain and keep you by my side like this forever. Is letting you go the only way?"

Li Caiyi became scared after hearing that. Her lips quivered as she spoke her following words.

"Why are you suddenly talking about this? I knew it; you are still angry with me, right?"

He pressed his lips into a hard line, and Li Caiyi became more frantic.

"I'm sorry for putting you in a difficult position because of my recklessness. Everything is all Huang Zhen's fault. I never once blamed you for it."

Li Caiyi quickly took out her necklace from behind her uniform collar. "I'm sorry for everything, Zhi. Look, I'll wear it from now on, so let's not talk about this again. Alright?"

Dai Zhiqiang put his hand on top of her hand before pushing it down. "I'm not angry because of that. In fact, I'd rather you forget about this gift I gave you."

"W-why?"

"It reminds me how ugly I am whenever I look at it. I ruined everything for you, even your effort to fix your life. Now it was all in a mess again because of me."

Li Caiyi shook her head. "I-I don't understand. Zhi, I need you in my life. You are scaring me now."

Dai Zhiqiang used his thumb to wipe the tears that threatened to spill from the corner of her eyes. The gesture was gentle, but his eyes were cold. It froze her heart.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. They finally met again, but why did they become like this? What did she do wrong?

"Don't cry. You'll make this more complicated than it already is." Dai Zhiqiang took a deep breath before finally delivering the final blow to her. "Li Caiyi, let's stop seeing each other."

For a moment, Li Caiyi couldn't remember what she was doing. Everything around her seemed to stop moving at once.

There was no way Dai Zhiqiang would say those words.

He promised to always be by her side.

They promised to wait for each other until they could finally be together in the truest sense.

So what she just heard must be an illusion her paranoid mind produces.

However, Dai Zhiqiang crushed her hope by repeating his words. His eyes were cold, with no trace of warmth in it.

"I'm sorry, but I can't continue this anymore."