Rebirth: Once Again With You

Li Caiyi blew her freezing hand so it would feel less cold before stuffing it inside her jacket. It was almost summer, but the wind blew strongly tonight because of the storm. This somehow brought a sense of déjà vu.

She once met Shen Qiang accidentally in the same weather, like a fateful meeting. Now, he found Dai Zhiqiang, whom she had been longing for and searching for days in the same kind of weather, too. It seemed like everything Dai Zhiqiang did constantly reminded her of Shen Qiang.

Li Caiyi looked up at the bar sign on top of the entrance and couldn't help but think about what kind of job Dai Zhiqiang would probably do in this place?

If he really was an employee here, it would explain why he couldn't tell his family about it. She had a few assumptions but thought she should first ask Dai Zhiqiang.

Li Caiyi waited for the security guard to return while leaning her back against the wall beside the front door. She didn't care even if some people who came in or went out sneaked a weird glance at her and only stood there in silence. If she was lucky, then she would meet Dai Zhiqiang soon.

When the security guard she had been waiting for came back, Li Caiyi perked up and ran over to him immediately.

"Mister, how is it? Where is Dai Zhiqiang?" Li Caiyi peeked behind him but saw no one.

"I'm sorry, but no guy with that name works here. Please return home soon, or your parents will be worried."

"No, that can't be! I was sure I saw him enter this place." Li Caiyi insisted.

The security guard frowned. "Please don't cause trouble here because everyone here is busy and has no time dealing with a little girl like you. We have done you enough favor by checking into our employee, so don't force us to make you leave."

Li Caiyi pressed her lips into a hard line as she swallowed the words that had already been on the tip of her tongue. As much as she still wanted to retort, going against this man here wasn't good.

"I understand. I'm sorry for troubling you. Please excuse me."

The security guard scoffed before walking away. Li Caiyi, who was left alone, could only leave while tightening her jacket. For some reason, she suddenly felt colder than before.

Was it really a mistake? But she was pretty sure it was Dai Zhiqiang she had just heard and seen.

Li Caiyi looked up at the building, which seemed full of life and glowed in the night, shrouded by clouds for the last time before she left in disappointment.

***

Meanwhile, Dai Zhiqiang, who had been watching the scene from the second floor, had to resist the urge to run down and grab that girl. She walked while hugging herself, looking extremely cold and lonely in the middle of a crowded street.

Why did she wander around outside in such thin clothes? She should at least wear another layer and a scarf too. When her small figure disappeared into the crowd, it filled Dai Zhiqiang with an indescribable emotion. He didn't want her to know he was working here, but at the same time, he also couldn't bear to see her sad.

How he wished he could gaze at her longer. He missed her so much that it was unbearable.

Dai Zhiqiang became even more determined to work harder and returned to her as soon as possible. He initially planned to take his senior's advice and lay down for an hour or so, but now, he didn't feel like doing that anymore.

He cast a last glance at the crowd below before turning away and going downstairs again.

***

"Where have you been? I thought some taxi driver had kidnapped you!"

Li Caiyi had to take a step backward when Shao Jingfei yelled at her as soon as she stepped inside.

"I asked Chunhua, and she said she parted ways with you before taking the cab, so she didn't know where you were. You made us worried sick!"

Li Caiyi scratched her cheeks awkwardly before letting out a dry laugh. "Haha, I was distracted by the busy street and somehow got swept up in the crowd."

"That's dangerous, you know. There are a lot of gangsters and molesters on this street, so you need to be extra careful. Then again, why didn't you bring your phone with you? So careless!"

"I'm sorry…." Li Caiyi said remorsefully, inwardly reminding herself not to agitate Shao Jingfei next time because he could nag very well.

Li Caiyi had to listen to his lecture for around 15 minutes before he took a deep breath and dropped the matter.

"Now, you have to convince your sister not to murder me because she was furious when I told her you haven't come back yet."

"Oh, alright." Li Caiyi wasn't ready for another lecture, so she planned to send Li Chunhua some text later.

Shao Jingfei still wanted to lecture her but canceled his plan when he saw her shoulders shivering. He sighed helplessly.

"Aren't you cold? Let's go upstairs, where it's warmer first."

"Yes!"

Li Caiyi had been waiting for that. The cafe felt chilly, and she couldn't wait to wrap herself in a blanket.

"Go upstairs first. I'll make a glass of warm tea for you."

"I'm very sorry about this…." Li Caiyi couldn't even pretend to act polite anymore because she was indeed craving something warm right now.

"Yes, yes. Just warm yourself up first."

Li Caiyi went upstairs first and was soothed when the warm air inside seeped into her frozen skin. She planned to return to her room first but stopped in her tracks when she noticed the PC was on.

Curiosity beckoned her to walk over and peaked at the monitor. She noticed that Shao Jingfei was probably chatting with someone when he noticed Li Caiyi took too long to come back. Li Caiyi didn't mean to read the chat, but her eyes automatically fell into the person's ID he chatted with.

"Big brother…" Li Caiyi muttered it out under her breath but later decided she shouldn't look into it further. "It's none of my business."

Although she said that, Li Caiyi's mind connected two with the two and formed a conclusion in her mind, which she wouldn't dare say aloud. It seemed Shao Jingfei and she had a lot of similarities, more than she thought.