Rebirth: Once Again With You

It was already night when they finished freshening up. Not counting her previous life, this was her first time taking a bath in someone else's place, so it made her nervous.

A delicious smell wafted from the kitchen when she got out of the shower. Li Caiyi approached curiously and saw Dai Zhiqiang busied himself there. Recalling how he tried to cook in her apartment last time, her lips curled up in a fond smile.

"What are you making?"

"Yi Yi, have you finished showering? You must be hungry, so I tried to make potato stew for us."

He put a bowl on the dining table and gestured for her to sit down. "Come and tell me how it tastes. I have already checked it and think I did a good job."

"Really? Then I will gratefully eat it." Li Caiyi sat down happily before scooping some stew into her mouth.

It was a bit too salty, but the potato was really soft. It melted quickly in her mouth, meaning that it was cooked very well. Since this was her boyfriend's homemade dish, it filled her belly and heart simultaneously.

"Hmm, delicious!"

Dai Zhiqiang's face brightened upon hearing that. "I'm glad. Eat a lot."

Li Caiyi ate slowly as she wanted to relish every bite. Thinking back to how clumsy he handled cooking before, he had leveled up his skill by a margin. It was like watching her disciple grow up, making her feel proud and sentimental.

"Ah, that was great. Thank you for the food!" Li Caiyi sighed blissfully after finishing her food.

"I feel a bit embarrassed…." Dai Zhiqiang replied sheepishly.

"What are you ashamed about? You did a great job with this stew. If I can eat more, I probably will ask you to make some more for me."

"I'm happy you enjoyed it, but that's not what I mean."

"Huh? Then, what is it?"

He stared at her deeply before replying, "I never knew that making something delicious for your loved ones could feel so fulfilling. And seeing you enjoy it so much made my day. I may get addicted to this feeling."

His unexpected attack made her blush. Li Caiyi knew how smooth he was, but saying those lines was cheating! It was as if….

"I feel like we are a newlywed couple, so I become self-conscious about it." Dai Zhiqiang added shyly.

Before she could finish her thought, he had already voiced it out loud. Li Caiyi's chest tightened, knowing she wasn't the only one who thought that. He was adorable when he expressed his whole body how much he liked her.

"I really am a blessed girl if you were to cook for me every day. I was spoiled by you today. Is this your way of making up for the days we can't spend together?" Li Caiyi asked in a teasing manner.

"That's part of the reason. I want you to try my cooking, so I have been practicing." Dai Zhiqiang played with his hand, and her gaze naturally fell on his fingers, which were wrapped by band-aids.

"Did you hurt yourself?!" Li Caiyi stood up in a panic as she grabbed his hand to check on his injuries.

Dai Zhiqiang chuckled, letting her inspect and touch his hand. "A small cut is nothing for me. Don't worry."

"Thank god you didn't get burned. Please be more careful."

"While cooking, I realize how much effort it takes to make a simple dish. I think you are very amazing."

"Aww, you flatter me too much." Li Caiyi giggled before sitting down again. "When you said you have something you want to show me, did you mean you want to show off your cooking skill to me?"

"Partially yes," Dai Zhiqiang smiled before putting a small box on top of the table. "It was a bit late, but happy birthday, Yi Yi. Your existence made me grateful for being alive. I hope you will remember me whenever you use this."

Li Caiyi opened the small box, and her eyes lit up when she saw a snow globe inside. Music was played from it when she turned the small key on the back, and the snow on the globe started to float, raining down on the miniature of a boy and a girl dancing inside.

What caught her eyes was how the boy and girl inside the globe looked similar to them.

"Zhi, this is so beautiful." Li Caiyi said in awe. "Is this custom-made?"

"My colleague introduced me to a capable craftsman. When I said this is a gift for someone special for me, he asked me to show him your picture, then he said he had a way to make it more special."

"No way! No wonder it was so detailed!"

"Yeah. I was also pleasantly surprised when I first saw it."

"But why snow? Does it have something to do with it too?"

"It was winter on the day we first met. I want you to always remember how you saved me that day. Your kindness that day warmed my cold body to the core and melted my heart. Don't ever forget how precious you are to me."

Dai Zhiqiang gazed at her lovingly, and once again, she was brimming with overwhelming emotions. She should be happy to hear it, but why did his words sound sad?

If he decided to leave her after this, she probably wouldn't be able to live anymore.

As her mind was filled with various thoughts, the calm and sentimental music from the globe finally stopped.

"Yi Yi, is everything okay?"

"Thank you. This is the best present I ever had. I will cherish this forever," Li Caiyi smiled brightly at him, suppressing the nagging thought she had. "Even if you forget, I will never forget it for life."

Dai Zhiqiang felt her choice of words was rather weird. Still, he brushed it off as Li Caiyi was too overwhelmed to respond appropriately. Seeing her clutching his gift in a good mood, he felt like this was an excellent chance to ask her about what had happened.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you cry just now?" He asked hesitantly.

"It's nothing sad. On the contrary, those were happy tears."

"What makes you so happy you cried so hard like that?"

Li Caiyi's lips curled up mysteriously. "You will eventually figure it out yourself."

***

After cleaning the place, they left the house and went to the hospital. However, since there was no change in Dai Bolin's condition, Li Caiyi only hung around a bit before taking her to leave. Or, to be precise, Dai Zhiqiang forced her to go, as he didn't want to hold her back until late.

By the time she returned to the Li family's house, it was already dark outside.

From her mother, Li Caiyi found out that her sister had also returned home. However, Li Chunhua didn't come out of her room even once after dinner. It was a bit concerning.

Taking her brother's advice in mind, Li Caiyi went to her room to pick up a present from her room and brought it to her sister's room.

"Xiaohua, are you inside?"

There was no response. She tried again. "Can I enter?"

Silence again. Li Caiyi was naturally reminded of how she found Li Chunhua unconscious in her room last time. The anxiety prompted her to open the door.

"Xiaohua!" She barged inside with a concerned expression, only to find Li Chunhua standing in the middle of the room, staring back in confusion at her.

"Why are you entering my room without permission? If I didn't answer, read the room and just go away already."

Li Caiyi heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you are okay. I suddenly remembered the last time I found you collapsed here, so I was worried."

Li Chunhua's stern expression softened upon hearing that. Still, she refused to admit it and snarled sarcastically, "I'm surprised you haven't grown any wrinkles from worrying so much. Shouldn't you worry more about your supposed friend's family member?"

"Oh, come on. It was an emergency situation. If it happened to Jingfei's father, you probably would also feel concerned, right? You must have wanted to fly to his side and ease his pain at once, right?"

"Don't bring that guy into this!" Li Chunhua stomped her feet angrily, but she didn't mention Dai Zhiqiang's father anymore. Her gaze fell on the small paper bag in her hand instead. "What do you want from me?"

Li Caiyi grinned before waving the paper bag at her. "Happy birthday, my dearest sister. Here is my birthday gift for you."

Li Chunhua's eyes lit up in interest, but she tried too hard to not show it; it looked funny. "Hmph, I don't need it."

"Really? But I spend a lot of time choosing this. I guess you don't like having matching earrings with me," Li Caiyi sighed in defeat. "I understand; I will just give it to one of my friends."

"What? No!" Li Chunhua hurriedly walked over and snatched the paper bag from her. "Why do you want to give something you buy for me to other people? Even if  I don't want it, that doesn't mean you can do that! This is a present for me, so it's MINE!"

Li Caiyi smirked triumphantly before nodding in agreement. "That's right. It's yours. You can choose whether to keep it or discard it."

"With your gloomy taste, I doubt it's anything good, but I appreciate the thought."

"I hope you like it."

"Hmph. Your business here is done, right? Then hurry up and leave." Li Chunhua turned her back on her, refusing to talk more.

Li Caiyi stared at her sister helplessly before making her way to the door. "You are right. It's late, and I shouldn't bother you anymore. Good night, Xiaohua."

After hearing the door being closed, Li Chunhua grimaced hard as she lamented her actions. She let a perfect chance slip away once again!

"I did it again. Jingfei is right. I really am stupid!"