Rebirth: Once Again With You

"I see. But can I ask you what is that 'thing' you use as bait to lure him out?"

"Hmm, as I said before, details are confidential, but let's just say that it is of great significance to him. I told him I got what he wanted in my hand, and he came to get it on his two feet."

Li Caiyi reckoned she wouldn't get anything more out of him even if she asked, so she changed her question.

"I heard you mentioned this 'reliable source' a few times. Is it really that great?"

"Oh, are you curious now?" Detective Tang smiled smugly.

Li Caiyi would be lying if she said she wasn't. It was never a bad thing to have more information.

"I hate to rain on your parade, but unfortunately, the chance of you getting any information regarding your sister's cure is close to zero. If it was that easy, then Kong and I wouldn't be in this situation."

He read her like a book. Li Caiyi slumped forward in disappointment. "I guess so. There's no way the solution will be that simple. How is the research going?"

"According to Kong, we should be able to get the result soon. Let's not lose hope just yet."

"I didn't lose my hope. Never."

"Haha, sure. Our little Miss is very tough."

Li Caiyi sat up straight again. "What about the matter of my stalker?"

"You sure have a lot on your plate. Are you sure you had never wronged anyone in your past life before? It seems trouble never ceases to revolve around you."

'Tell me about it. I was wronged in my past life, yet I still have to suffer in my current life,' Li Caiyi couldn't help but agree with him. She felt like she had used all of her luck just to go back in time.

"Just tell me about the progress."

Detective Tang cleared his throat. "Well, I figured you called me for that, so I have prepared beforehand."

Like before, he whipped out some pictures on top of the table. In those pictures, Lu Ruan was captured with a mysterious person wearing a black hat and hoodie. It appeared they met up frequently in various different places alone.

"Hmm, these are very suspicious-looking pictures, indeed." Li Caiyi commented as she analyzed the place where the picture took place. Most of them were captured in the park near her school.

That was also the place where the car that chased after stopped. To say that these were just a mere coincidence was inconceivable. Li Chunhua's hunch was correct, after all.

'Now I feel bad again for speaking harshly to her when she had nothing but my best interest in mind. I have to apologize and thank her later.'

"Judging from your face, it looks like we are both in agreement that Lu Ruan is the most probable suspect. She might not be the one who did the dirty deeds, but it was almost 100% certain that she was the one who pulled the strings."

Li Caiyi sighed. "Lu Ruan has always been hostile towards my sister and me. She found us in an eyesore. But I didn't expect her to go this far. This is rather…unfortunate."

Detective Tang studied Li Caiyi's expression closely. "I found some interesting things while doing a background check on the girl. A girl's heart is truly an unfathomable place. You got the short end of the stick by having an obsessed girl as your enemy."

"Just so we clear, I didn't make her my enemy. Technically, it wasn't me who broke her heart, but she just wanted to blame me for everything."

"Well, humans are fragile beings. When things are tough to accept, they can't help wanting to point their finger at someone. That wasn't a valid excuse for her actions, though. The heartbreak must be pretty bad if she even plotted to kill you."

Li Caiyi nodded. Lu Ruan had to take responsibility for her actions. It was by pure luck that Li Caiyi survived the fall from the cliff during the school trip, but the malicious intent was there all the same. What she did was unpardonable.

Lu Ruan had to be stopped before she hurt more people and crossed the final line she shouldn't have crossed.

The problem was how she should take care of the matter. She could confront Lu Ruan directly or report the matter to the police. She had to be extra careful and think this through first.

"Detective Tang, I'd like to keep these."

"Sure. While you are at it, keep these too."

Li Caiyi stared at the other pictures he presented before her, and her eyes widened in surprise. "T-This is!"

Detective Tang grinned. "If you want to call out a criminal for their action, you must bring conclusive evidence."

***

"Hey, why do we have to meet in a dirty place like this?!"

Under the moonlight, Lu Ruan walked through the pile of trash without being able to hide the disgust on her face. Sure, this meeting was supposed to be secret, but it didn't have to be in the middle of a dumpster like this!

Her beautiful shoes were totally ruined, and there were a lot of bugs here!

"I don't want to stay here, so make this quick!" She shouted impatiently at the figure clad in all black standing a few steps away from her. In a dim-light place like this, wearing an all-black outfit like that made the person's figure hard to distinguish.

He was wearing a black hat and mask. Only small parts of his face were exposed, adding to how his glaringly white skin became paler under the moonlight; he looked like someone from another world. Lu Ruan even thought he was a ghost at first.

'Tsk. He is so creepy. I would never go anywhere near him if it's not because he is the greatest ally I could have.'

"Just tell me, what do you want?"

He said nothing and only gave Lu Ruan an envelope. Her eyes lit up a bit, recalling how she managed to scare that white lotus bitch out by sending her that 'surprise box' last time. What kind of surprise should she send her this time?

Lu Ruan snatched it from him and eagerly looked into the pictures inside. What she saw made her eyes brighten even more. Thinking about how Li Caiyi would cry once this fact was out, she felt pleased inside; she had forgotten entirely about her surroundings and the person standing before her.

"I knew it. Li Caiyi really is a double-faced slut. To think Senior Meng rejected me for her, he must have been completely fooled by her innocent facade. I have to save him from that horrible girl!"

"You have to be careful this time. That girl knows that someone is targeting her and actively searching for the culprit," he said for the first time that night.

Lu Ruan harrumphed before slipping the envelope into her bag. "That's not my problem! I hire you precisely for the troublesome details just like that. Keep giving me fun stuff, do your job properly, and you will be paid handsomely."

The man shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Lu Ruan didn't like this person, but to save Meng Renshu from Li Caiyi, she had to put up with him.

With a click of her tongue, she turned and walked away from the dumpster. She didn't even spare a look at the man again.

Unbeknownst to her, the man watched her back until she disappeared from sight before pulling down his mask. The man smiled gleefully as though he couldn't wait to see a good performance.

"You'd better not disappoint me, silly girl."