Rebirth: Once Again With You

"Don't get used to that. Have you tried to get it checked by the doctor?"

"No. See? The pain is gone now. But after it goes away, I always feel strange for some reason."

"How so?"

Li Caiyi put her hand in front of her chest, specifically on her heart. "I feel like something is taken from me. Like I lost something important. It was a weird feeling."

"You do?"

"Yeah, but never mind. I'm sure it's just my imagination. What are we talking about again? I suddenly can't remember."

Dai Zhiqiang's brows raised in doubt. "Are you sure you are fine? We are talking about how you shouldn't spend your money carelessly."

"Oh yeah. Geez, how can I forget that? I'm such an airhead sometimes."

Dai Zhiqiang put his hand on her head and gently caressed it. "It's fine. You are fine just the way you are."

"Hehe, thanks. And about your question, it was nothing. I was worried about you when you didn't show up, so I went to your house. He followed me there because he couldn't let me go to K city alone. That's all."

Dai Zhiqiang made a faint disgruntled noise, even though he tried hard to look calm on the outside.

"I see. I'm glad to hear he was not bothering you. But you really should be careful around him."

"En. I know. Thanks for worrying about me."

"Let's forget that, then. You should drink something first." Dai Zhiqiang reached out to his bag again, but doing so made his arm brush against Li Caiyi's, and she could feel the coldness emanating from his wet clothes.

"Zhiqiang, how about you take off your clothes? Your clothes are drenched because of the rain; you'll get sick if you keep wearing them."

Dai Zhiqiang smiled playfully at her. "If I do that, will you warm me up directly with your body?"

"What?!"

His straightforward answer made her flinch in fluster. Li Caiyi never thought of it that way, but thinking about it again, he wasn't wrong either.

If he took off his clothes, he would have nothing to shield himself from the strong wind. That was as harmful as letting him stay in that wet clothes. Unless she did something to help him with it…

Li Caiyi's cheek turned red as her temperature raised. As much as this was embarrassing, this was an urgent situation. As an adult, she couldn't let her shame stop her from doing something she should do.

"It's okay. Let's do it."

The playful smile on Dai Zhiqiang's face disappeared after hearing her response. His eyes widened in disbelief.

Li Caiyi shut her eyes tight before making her point once again. "I-It's not a weird thing or anything! We are just going to cuddle until your clothes are dry enough to wear again. I-if you keep wearing that wet clothes, you'll get sick, and we won't be able to get out of here!"

"Will you really heat me up?"

Li Caiyi was surprised when Dai Zhiqiang abruptly pulled her closer to him. His motion was gentle so as not to aggravate her injuries, but it was so smooth; that she didn't have time to resist.

No, it was more like she didn't want to resist. Not when he stared at her with those passionate and dominating eyes. He looked ready to eat her whenever he saw a chance.

The place he touched her felt scorching hot, and the sound of the rain overlapped with her noisy heartbeat.

Which one was louder? She couldn't tell.

"If you are sure, then make sure to not make unnecessary movements. You don't want to provoke me any further than this."

Li Caiyi forgot to breathe for a second. There was no usual teasing smirk or trace of mischievousness in his words. He was dead serious when he said that. Her heart felt like it could explode.

Sensing that she probably had said something more than she should, she didn't say anything and only tugged on the hem of his jersey. "Alright."

"Alright," Dai Zhiqiang echoed her words before tenderly prying her hands off of her. He held her hand as if that was the most delicate thing in the world before reluctantly letting it go.

Dai Zhiqiang slowly unzipped her jersey and took them off. Next, he pulled his wet t-shirt over his head, and Li Caiyi gulped nervously, seeing his robust and firm body beneath that t-shirt.

This wasn't her first time witnessing this, but the feeling she got couldn't be more different. She couldn't remember how she could stare at his body without blushing the first time.

Unlike the last time, Li Caiyi could spot a few bruises and scars here and there, but none of them looked scary this time. The more she looked at him, the hotter her face became, so she had to avert her eyes first.

"C-can you look away for a second? I-I'll take off mine too…."

There was a slight pause before he replied huskily. "En. Take your time."

Li Caiyi made sure he had looked away before slowly pulling her t-shirt over her head too before she could second-guess her decision. She quickly covered her almost naked upper body with her jersey before slowly scooting closer to Dai Zhiqiang.

"Y-you can look this way now," Li Caiyi said in a barely audible voice. Because of embarrassment, she had her back on him, letting him have a nice view of her back.

Dai Zhiqiang couldn't describe his feelings except that the girl sitting in front of him was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Her pure-looking and bashful figure, with a hint of red on her white skin, was like a freshly blooming flower on the snow mountain.

Touching the untainted her with his filthy hands felt like a sin; he was afraid she would break. However, along with that hesitance was the desire to paint her in his color and leave his mark on her. The contradictory feeling gave birth to a sense of thrill, making him shiver.

Dai Zhiqiang had to use all his willpower to purge the improper thought in his mind.

"Come here."

Li Caiyi released a soft gasp when he pulled her closer, so her back pressed against his hard chest. She was trapped in his arms, with her sitting between his legs.

They could save a lot of space and share their warmth in this position. Although this closeness was very bad for her heart!

"Careful. Didn't I say not to move around?" Dai Zhiqiang held her more tightly to keep her in place. His voice sounded strained like he was trying hard to hold back something.

"S-sorry."

"If you don't come closer, then we wouldn't feel warm. Be a good girl."

Not only her heart but her whole body was ready to explode now. Thinking back, she was so bold for suggesting something like this!

"You are very warm. This is a good idea, indeed. I want to keep you close to me like this forever."

Dai Zhiqiang dipped and put his head on her shoulder, and his sweetness stole her breath away.

The panic and restlessness Li Caiyi felt before slowly faded as she became more comfortable. She even furtively leaned toward him more for a better position.