Rebirth: Once Again With You

The building shown in the picture was actually an abandoned factory located on the side of the city. It took some time before Li Caiyi arrived, but she finally arrived.

The old factory was pretty huge, and Li Caiyi could already tell how troublesome it was to search for a person in such a vast area like this.

The area was surrounded by an iron gate and barbed wire. An old sign warning the passerby to keep out hung highly on the fence. When she pushed the gate, it opened quickly with a slight creaking noise.

Right when she stepped inside, it felt like she became a part of this empty and still place. Looking up close, the building was covered by wild plants. The eerie silence engulfing this place made someone think something might pop out anytime. She probably would stay away from this place in a normal situation.

However, thinking about Dai Bolin's frail state, she couldn't afford to be scared. She had to finish this as quickly as possible and let him return to the hospital.

Li Caiyi checked her phone, but there was no new message from Huang Zhen. She suspected he must have a way to monitor her somehow. Thinking about how this empty place might have eyes on its walls brought chills down her spine.

"No. Don't get intimidated. That's what he wants from you." Li Caiyi muttered quietly while slapping both of her cheeks a few times.

Li Caiyi pushed the giant, rusty factory door open, and sure enough, it was unlocked. It was pretty hard to move, so she had to use both hands.

The sight she saw in front of her reminded her of many scenes from horror movies.

The smell of molds, dust, and rusty iron mixed together. Ruined floor tiles and cracks on the walls made her every step echo in the silent room.

A few machines lined up, and she had no idea what was their functions. It created an illusion that someone or something was probably hiding behind them, watching her closely.

,m The only light source in this place was the small window near the ceiling. Despite being indoors, her body shivered in the cold. Li Caiyi could faintly hear the sound of the wind slipping through the crack of the walls. She was grateful to be here during the daytime and not at night. This place would be pitch black during nighttime.

"Now, where should I go?" She wondered while squinted her eyes, trying to make out what was on the other side of the room. However, she couldn't see clearly from where she stood.

Li Caiyi hoped someone would come out to greet her or something. Anything, as long as she didn't need to do this alone. Alas, Huang Zhen probably could foresee this situation and most likely laughed at her frightened self now.

Using the flashlight on her phone, she hesitantly took a step forward. Her heart beat furiously in her chest, and the sound of broken tiles under her shoes was disturbing and made her feel exposed.

Li Caiyi didn't know where to go, so she walked aimlessly. The deeper she walked, the more vast this building seemed.

She saw a few doors and even checked some of them. However, those rooms were mostly empty, with trash scattered around or had stacks of boxes covered with dusty tarpaulin.

There was no sign of Huang Zhen at all. No, there wasn't any human presence at all in this place. She even second-guessed herself, thinking whether she had come to the wrong place.

Right when she thought of that, there was a loud creaking noise, followed by someone's rapid footsteps. From the sound of it, someone seemed to be in the middle of running.

Li Caiyi quickly pointed her flashlight to the source while moving her feet to the source of the voice. At last, she finally found someone!

"Who's there? Wait!" Li Caiyi shouted but heard no response. Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she had no choice but to continue her pursuit. Meanwhile, the other person's steps were getting far away, prompting her to hasten her pace.

"Ack!"

Li Caiyi exclaimed loudly when something got to her feet and tripped her. She fell down with a loud thump, but she didn't even have time to grimace in pain, as she couldn't lose that person after coming this far.

Forcing herself to stand up, she beat her thigh to stop shaking and ran ahead again. The broken tiles must have grazed her skin, as she felt a sting on her skin while running. She gritted her teeth and continued chasing.

The other person took a turn in the hallway, and the space became significantly narrower than before. Then all of a sudden, it was gone, leaving a

Li Caiyi had a bad feeling. Why does it feel like this person is trying to lure her somewhere?

This person had been running, but whenever she staggered due to pain, it felt like he deliberately slowed down to wait for her. Was this one of Huang Zhen's sick games again?

Now that the wall was closer to her, the air inside felt thinner and made it difficult to breathe. It was probably her imagination since her heart couldn't stop beating so fast. A claustrophobic person would probably faint under these circumstances.

Li Caiyi was contemplating whether she should go back or continue when she heard a rustling sound. It sounded close, most likely a few meters ahead of her.

Li Caiyi gulped hard before tip-toeing to the door where the sound came from. She tried to make a minimum of noise while moving. Lucky for her, the door wasn't closed and was left slightly ajar. While she did all this, the rusty sound got louder, like someone was busy doing something inside.

Huang Zhen and Dai Bolin were probably behind this door. Ready or not, she had to end this.

Mustering her courage, she pushed the door open and barged inside. "Uncle!"

However, there was nothing inside besides another stack of boxes covered with trape. Li Caiyi was utterly confused. She was very sure she had heard that sound from here!

Then, she felt something moving and nudged her feet. Shocked to the bone, her heart almost gave out on her.

"Eek!" Li Caiyi yelped before jumping to the side. She put her hand into her pocket, ready to attack anyone who tried to do something to her.

"Meow."

All the tension in her shoulders dropped to the ground when her gaze fell onto a small, feline creature looking up at her. Her surprised eyes gradually returned to their calm.

"What? It's just a cat?" She said in relief before crouching down, feeling the energy leave her legs. "I got scared for nothing. Come to think of it, that sound I heard could very well come from this cat too."

Li Caiyi stared at the gray tabby cat in front of her, still sitting there while looking at her weirdly, as if saying, 'Human, what are you doing?'

After spending so much time in Shao Jingfei cafe, Li Caiyi grew even fonder of cats and couldn't help but stroke this cat's head. It was alarmed at first but slowly got used to it and snuggled closer to her hand. Her heart finally settled down when she felt the cat's warmth.

"Why are you alone here? How did you come inside?"

Li Caiyi was so focused on the cat she didn't notice a shadow moving behind her.

THWACK!!

The dull pain on the back of her head was the only thing she could feel before her body fell forward, causing the cat to jump and run out of the room.

Meanwhile, Li Caiyi couldn't overcome the shock and confusion she felt. What just happened?

Then, she heard those familiar footsteps again. The owner moved around her and stood in front of her, displaying their boots to her eyes.

At that time, Li Caiyi seriously thought that was the end of her. She stupidly came here alone only to become a plaything and be killed in this abandoned and lonely place.

No one would come for her this time. Not even Dai Zhiqiang.

If she had to die, then at least she wanted to see the face of the person who attacked her.

However, forgot about tilting her head upward; she couldn't even move a finger. Warm liquid trickled down her cheeks. Was it tears or blood? She couldn't tell.

The person with boots didn't linger for long. After making sure she couldn't move anymore, they walked away. From the clicking sound of the door, it was evident that Li Caiyi was trapped in this place for good.

The ground felt cold. She was tired and in pain. Would she really die here alone? Again, in this place?

Li Caiyi hadn't properly made up with Xiaohua yet. Her second book was still in progress; Shao Jingfei would be mad if she left in the middle. Her mother would be worried sick again, and Li Junjie would scold her.

She wondered what had happened to the bodyguards Meng Renshu sent. Why hadn't they come to save her just yet?

"Zhiqiang...." was the only word that escaped her stiff mouth.

If she knew she would end up like this, she should have hugged him then.

The necklace, too; she should have never taken it off. If only she wasn't acting so sensitive, then Dai Zhiqiang could figure out where she was now.

She reaped what she sowed.

Li Caiyi's eyes slowly closed as strength left her body.