Rebirth: Once Again With You

Meng Renshu stood proudly in front of all the people while giving his short speech.

Li Caiyi watched him from a side with a distant gaze on her eyes. Although the room was packed with guests, she felt alone.

In her previous life, Meng Renshu also delivered the exact same speech. The only difference this time was that he had Li Chunhua standing beside him then.

She wasn't Li Chunhua, so of course, she wouldn't be standing beside him even if she technically was his partner tonight. Seeing him delivering the same speech all over again, Li Caiyi felt melancholic inside.

After giving the speech, he politely bowed to the guest and gave a signal for the music to start. Then, he smiled at Li Caiyi, who stood among the crowd before walking towards her.

"Xiaoyi," He called out to her with the gentlest smile she had ever seen from him. Then he reached out his hand towards her. "May I have this dance?"

Li Caiyi had danced many times with him in her previous life. Most of them were obligatory dances when a banquet or party was held, but she had always looked forward to it. At least, in that short moment, Meng Renshu would only look at her and her alone. Although she didn't know whether he was genuinely looking at her, or he tried to search for someone else's visage by looking at her, Li Caiyi was still happy, nevertheless.

She smiled mirthlessly as she looked down at his hand. What was she even doing, reminiscing about something that had happened in the past? Was the atmosphere of this place made her feel nostalgic somehow and remember it again?

Li Caiyi slowly put her hand in his. "Yes."

Meng Renshu led her to the center of the room. By this time, everyone's gaze was focused on them. Many stared with envy and some with admiration.

They considered it a norm to wait for the party's main character to have the first dance before the guest could follow along, so the floor was all theirs for the first song.

Was it perhaps because the situation was terribly familiar with lots of parties she had attended in her first life? Unlike her usual self, Li Caiyi didn't feel nervous at all this time. There was no excitement or anticipation in her heart. She only wanted to end this as soon as possible.

Meng Renshu gently put her left hand on her waist, while Li Caiyi put her right hand on his shoulder. Their other hand met each other naturally as the slow music resonated in the room.

The dance steps had been ingrained in Li Caiyi's body, to the point she could move with her eyes closed. Meng Renshu also led her gently, just like always. It made everything even easier.

"Xiaoyi."

Li Caiyi looked up when she heard him calling her name. "Yes?"

"Your mind is wandering. Are you feeling nervous?"

"No, not really."

"Then focus on me, will you?"

Li Caiyi almost let out a gasp of surprise when his hold on her waist tightened, and he pulled her closer to him. In this distance, they were so close together she could hear the sound of their breathing. If she hadn't had those dancing experiences in her previous life, she probably would slip and make a fool of herself.

As though he had read her mind, Meng Renshu said, "I won't let you fall. But at least, for now, I don't want you to think of anything else but me." Meng Renshu whispered slowly beside her ears, and his voice vibration tickled her ear.

"Brother Renshu, this is too close. I can't move well like this," Li Caiyi said as she squirmed to gain some distance from him, but he didn't give her room to do that at all.

"Don't worry, you danced beautifully just the way you are. Leave the rest to me."

Li Caiyi could hear the sound of an accelerated heartbeat, but she wasn't sure if the sound was hers or his. She could also faintly smell his cologne from his suit. It was the smell of refreshing pinewood, a familiar and nostalgic smell she once liked so much.

Li Caiyi could almost envision her and Meng Renshu dancing happily under a bright-lit chandelier. It was like a sight from a fairy-tale with lots of sparkles.

Soon, the music ended, and Meng Renshu finally loosened his grip on her. Li Caiyi discreetly heaved a sigh as she stepped away from him.

Li Caiyi felt a bit light-headed. Maybe all that spinning around made her dizzy.

As the music for the next song flowed, Li Caiyi slipped in between a sea of people and made her way to the terrace. She needed a breath of fresh air.

***

The chilly night wind hit her body and made her exposed skin shudder.

Li Caiyi looked up and found it was the night of the crescent moon. Out of all things that happened inside this building, this scenery was perhaps the only thing that differed from what she remembered in her past life. It must be because the party was postponed for more than a week. Somehow, looking at that different moon gave her a sense of comfort.

Li Caiyi leaned her back against the terrace pillar and closed her eyes, faintly hearing the sound of night crickets. She felt suffocated until a few minutes ago, but she felt calmer now.

As she basked in the night's quietness, she couldn't help but think about Shen Qiang. Did he also look at the same moon as her right now, under this starless night sky?

"So you are here."

Li Caiyi opened her eyes and saw Meng Renshu, who walked towards her. He had a glass of drink in both of his hands. It didn't take a genius to guess he came here to look for her.

"Brother Renshu, you shouldn't be here. You are the main character today." Li Caiyi said.

"Then what about you? You are the partner of the main character tonight. Shouldn't you be inside now and accompanying me?" Meng Renshu smiled as he offered a glass to her. "Don't worry, this is non-alcoholic."

Whether or not it was an alcoholic wouldn't have made any difference to Li Caiyi, anyway. She indeed felt thirsty, so she took the glass from his hand. "Thank you."

Meng Renshu waited until she took a sip before he asked worriedly, "Xiaoyi, are you perhaps not enjoying yourself? You seem to have been awfully distracted since earlier."

Li Caiyi looked down at the clear glass in her hand, which reflected her shadow.

She also took refuge in this place in her previous life, as people in the room congratulated Meng Renshu and Li Chunhua. Both of them looked like lovely couples blessed by everyone. Although Li Caiyi was happy for them, she still felt bittersweet inside, so she sneakily slipped out of the party and stayed here until the party was almost over.

The only difference was that nobody came looking for her then.

When she heard a familiar speech, all her memories of this party rushed back to her. It made her realize that she didn't belong in this timeline and that everything looked the same, yet also different simultaneously. She didn't drink any alcohol, but she felt like she was drunk for being so emotional over nothing. It was a feeling that was hard to be described.

"I'm just a bit tired." Li Caiyi replied shortly.

Meng Renshu studied her expression and was worried because she looked more dejected than usual. It was only he who felt all happy on his own.

As soon as the dance ended, he saw Li Caiyi slip out of the crowd, and his feet just naturally brought him in the same direction as her.

When he looked at her figure standing with closed eyes under the moonlight, he thought she appeared to be very lonely and sad about something. However, he doubted she would share her thoughts with him, considering how much she disliked him.

Meng Renshu felt defeated when he thought about that.