Rebirth: Once Again With You

The hallway around that time was already empty, with no one in sight. It made the silence between the three people standing in it even more deafening.

Li Caiyi noticed it too late, but there was a stifling atmosphere in the air. She gulped in nervousness.

"Zhiqiang, why are you here?" Li Caiyi asked awkwardly to break the suffocating silence.

"Why? Can't I be here?"

His response was sharp and almost cold. Besides, he also had this dark expression on his face, like he was unhappy about something. It took Li Caiyi aback, and she couldn't form a coherent response right on the spot.

"Oh? Uhm, no, it's not that. I mean—"

"Why are you here, then?" Dai Zhiqiang asked her again.

"I was looking for you after school, and then various things happened—"

"What things? Explain."

Li Caiyi also wanted to explain, but how could she when he kept interrupting her words impatiently? She couldn't understand why he acted this way, but she understood that something must have pissed him off.

"Can you tell just by looking at us?" Meng Renshu chimed with a light voice, straightening his back and using his arm around her shoulder to pull her closer to him. "What do you think?"

Dai Zhiqiang's face considerably darkened at Meng Renshu's taunt. Li Caiyi found this situation silly and embarrassing, so she quickly opened her mouth to explain.

"Hey, what's with you guys? Zhiqiang, stop making a scary face, and Brother Renshu, please stop with that ambiguous way of talking!"

"Caiyi, why are you with him?"

"There was an accident before, and Brother Renshu twisted his ankle because he saved me. I was helping him to walk to the infirmary right now." Li Caiyi explained hurriedly, feeling that Dai Zhiqiang would explode if she delayed any second longer.

To her dismay, Dai Zhiqiang's expression didn't ease at all. Just when she wondered if she had said something wrong, he walked over and took Meng Renshu's arm wrapped around her shoulder and brought it around his instead.

"I'll take care of the rest from here."

"Oh." There wasn't even room for rebuttal because Dai Zhiqiang had taken over her job before she could agree. "Thank you, Zhiqiang."

"Yeah, thank you so much." Meng Renshu also thanked him, but with a sarcastic tone.

Dai Zhiqiang didn't reply to them and helped Meng Renshu walk into the infirmary. Li Caiyi opened the door for them. The school nurse immediately sprung forward upon noticing Meng Renshu, who came in while being supported.

Li Caiyi explained the gist of what had happened, and the school nurse worked quickly to patch Meng Renshu up. It didn't take long for his leg to have bandages wrapped around his ankle.

"I have applied the first treatment for him. Thankfully, there's no broken bone, so he should be able to walk normally again after a few days," said the school nurse.

Li Caiyi heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

"Didn't I say you don't have to worry?" Meng Renshu chuckled.

"No, it's because I can't believe you. I have to force you to do this. Who knows when you will get it treated if I just let you be?"

"Hey, am I a child to you?"

"You act like one sometimes. Stop worrying people so much." Li Caiyi massaged her throbbing temple.

"You are worried about me? I'm delighted to hear that. Thank you, Xiaoyi."

"Well, you got that injury because of me. I should at least help you this much."

"You don't have to put it that way, and nobody will misunderstand. Isn't that right, Zhiqiang?"

Li Caiyi was stunned because Meng Renshu suddenly called out to him. Moreover, he called Dai Zhiqiang in a more familiar way, which was weird for her because both shouldn't have any involvement besides that one time during Li Chunhua's kidnapping incident.

Dai Zhiqiang stared at Meng Renshu sharply before answering, "Of course, I won't misunderstand anything, Senior Meng. After all, everyone in the school knows how close you are with the Li siblings as a childhood friend."

Meng Renshu flashed his refreshing smile upon hearing that. "I heard you have been absent from school for a few days? Then, you must haven't heard about the most recent rumor, which particularly involves Xiaoyi and me."

"I heard about that, but that changes nothing. I believe what I see more than hearsay. Of course, Senior Meng can guess what is that too."

"Really? Then we must have different ways to see things because I see it differently than you."

Li Caiyi watched how they went back and forth with their words, which sounded like amiable interaction at first, but felt stifling as time passed by. It was almost like they were throwing blades and daggers at each other using their words.

Contrary to her initial belief, they seemed to not get along that well. That would explain the dark look on Dai Zhiqiang's face when he spotted them and Meng Renshu's display of mischief towards him.

Come to think of it, Dai Zhiqiang once almost went against Meng Renshu because he was trying to defend her. However, she had never heard what actually happened to them after leaving the place.

Li Caiyi looked at her wristwatch and found they had wasted so much time. Her brother probably had been waiting for them.

Looking down at Meng Renshu's leg, Li Caiyi felt reluctant to ask him if he wanted to come with her or not. Knowing his personality, she was sure he would force himself.

"Is it time already? Shall we go now?" Meng Renshu asked her and put down his leg from the bed.

Li Caiyi hurriedly tried to stop him by his shoulder. "Don't move yet. Today is just not good. I'll contact Brother Jie to cancel today's plan. Let's talk about it another day."

"Caiyi, you know this matter of grave importance. There is no time to waste."

"I know, but what can you do with your legs like that?"

"It's just a sprain, and we have Mr. Mu who can help me later. Xiaoyi, you are worried too much." Meng Renshu giggled.

"Don't treat your body lightly like that. Brother Jie will understand."

"Speaking of him, he must have already arrived there and probably wondered why we weren't there, despite us leaving first."

"Let's call Brother Jie to come here. We can talk in an empty classroom instead. That way, it won't give too much burden to your leg."

Meng Renshu nodded, clearly happy receiving her care. "I'll do as you say, Xiaoyi. Thanks for looking out for me."