Rebirth: Once Again With You

Realizing her mind began to wander around in a dangerous direction, Li Caiyi quickly shook her head to dispel her thoughts.

'I have gone this far; second-guessing my decision is not the wise choice here. Whether or not Xiaohua collapsed today, the fact that we both would only hurt each other by sticking together remained. I can't let that toxic cycle continue. Don't waver now.' Li Caiyi gripped her hand tightly to encourage herself and even slapped her cheeks a few times.

"Xiaoyi?"

A deep voice stopped her from abusing herself. Li Caiyi looked back and saw Meng Renshu standing on the door with a plastic bag in his hand. He flashed her a small smile before walking over. "What are you doing? Hurting yourself like that?"

Li Caiyi said nothing and only looked down. In a way, she was actually amazed by how resilient Meng Renshu was. Even after she yelled or threw poisonous words at him, he would still smile gently at her the next time they met. Whether or not that smile was genuine was questionable, and she wasn't interested in figuring it out.

Since this was a VIP room, excluding the unconscious Li Chunhua on the bed, only the two of them were in the room now. Breathing in the same space as Meng Renshu made Li Caiyi feel like sitting on pins and needles. Especially after their fight this afternoon.

"Have you had dinner yet?" Meng Renshu asked her first.

".... I have."

"Good, then. Because of the series of incidents today, Junjie and I have no chance to eat yet. Do you mind if I eat here?"

She didn't understand why he would even ask for her permission. Still, at least they had a tacit agreement to form a truce for the time being. This wasn't really an appropriate time to continue fighting, after all. Li Caiyi could breathe easier after knowing that.

"Do as you please."

Meng Renshu grabbed another stool and sat beside Li Caiyi with a bowl of porridge in his hand.

Li Caiyi knew his food preference well, so it confused her why he would eat that for dinner. As far as she knew, Meng Renshu was never a fan of porridge. Even when he was sick, he would rather eat something with a firmer texture than porridge.

The curiosity got the best of her, so she asked him, "Were they only selling porridge around here?"

Meng Renshu didn't expect she would talk to him, but he showed no surprise in his face. "No, I heard eating porridge is good to promote a good night's sleep. I have been eating these as a dinner for a while."

"Did you have trouble sleeping lately?"

Meng Renshu had a weary smile on his face as he looked at her with an inexplicable gaze. Li Caiyi felt she had walked on the landmine, so she quickly added, "It's okay if you don't want to tell. I was just asking casually."

He stared at her for a bit more before he chuckled. "No, I don't mind telling you. It's just, I'm afraid you won't believe it even if I tell you."

Li Caiyi could sense that Meng Renshu was in a better mood, albeit he looked drained. She actually didn't mind his presence that much, as long as he wasn't acting obnoxiously.

This might be the first time since she was reborn that she could talk to him without frowning. It probably meant that she was gradually getting accustomed to his presence. Li Caiyi didn't know if this development was comforting or not.

"I see. I can't guarantee if I will believe you or not, but if it's only listening, that I can do."

Meng Renshu's expression immediately changed into a serious one before shifting his sitting position, so Li Caiyi sat in front of him.

"Before that, I want to apologize to you for lashing out at you this afternoon. Maybe it's because of my lack of good quality sleep lately that my emotions took the best of me. I couldn't control it well because I was worried about you. I hope you can forgive me."

She didn't expect him to suddenly apologize so honestly like this. Meng Renshu looked so sincere with his apology that it made Li Caiyi feel awkward instead. Thinking back, she also said a few rude things to him, but he didn't mention it at all.

"I also apologize for my unnecessary words back then. I promise I will watch out for my words from now on, only if you stop acting unreasonably to me. Honestly, I feel like I don't know you anymore, Brother Renshu."

"Junjie also said the same thing. If even someone as insensitive as he could sense it, then there must be something wrong with me indeed." Meng Renshu laughed weakly. "I also don't know anymore. Lately, the line between reality and dream became vague, and I often lost control of my actions. I must have scared you earlier. I regretted it so much."

Li Caiyi listened to him quietly without saying anything. Did his sleep problem influence him that much?

She also had sleeping trouble because of her depression in her previous life, so she understood how torturous it was.

Nightmares would often haunt her so much that she didn't even dare to sleep. People would feel refreshed when they woke up, but she only felt exhausted. Her weariness made her mind more unstable, and the more her mind was disturbed, the more prone she was to nightmares. It was a never-ending cycle of suffering.

In the end, she could only rely on medicine to have peace of mind.

Li Caiyi was pretty sure Meng Renshu didn't have this problem in her previous life, but who knows? He probably had it; he just never told it to anyone before.

"If it becomes too hard to sleep, I suggest you seek professional help. It might not seem like a big deal at first, but the burden will slowly pile up and affect your daily life in the end. Brother Renshu, you are in that phase now. You need help from the professional." Li Caiyi said sympathetically.

Her caring words touched Meng Renshu. He thought she would brush his problem off as simple exhaustion and told him not to think much, but she unexpectedly took this seriously. He could tell she was genuinely concerned for his well-being, despite their not-so-amicable relationship lately.

'She is as kind as ever,' He thought, feeling a surge of warmth flowing into his chest. 'If it's her, she probably would believe me if I told her everything. Perhaps she even has the answer I was looking for….'

Meng Renshu took a deep breath before he looked her straight in the eyes. "Xiaoyi, about the dream I had, it was actually—"

The sound of the door opening interrupted his words. The two jerked their heads towards the door simultaneously and found Su Suyin, Li Jirong, and a female nurse standing there.

Li Caiyi's eyes bulged in shock as her gaze was fixed on the female nurse. It wasn't unusual to see a nurse in the hospital, but out of all the nurses in this place, why did it have to be her?!

A deep, sticky feeling of hate overflowed inside her as she muttered under her breath in a bemused tone. "This pair of shameless couple never ceases to amaze me."

Standing at the entrance was the assembly of the wife, husband, and his mistress. Li Caiyi had to use all her willpower to avoid glaring at Gu Xue, who stood close to Li Jirong.