Rebirth: Once Again With You

Thankfully, the surgery went well. The Dai brothers could only breathe at ease when their father was finally transferred to the regular patient room.

The last few days were like living using body memory for them. Everything was so hectic that they barely had time to eat. They didn't remember how they could get through the anxious waiting outside the operation room.

Dai Bolin had yet to regain consciousness, so the brothers plopped on the empty chair with exhaustion written all over their faces.

"Big Brother, when will you return to school? Isn't it bad if you don't return soon?"

"Don't worry about it. I told my homeroom teacher about the situation. Even if I was absent, it wouldn't affect my grade."

"I'm not concerned about your grade. S International High School is the dream school for everyone, yet you don't have a chance to see how everything looks on your first day of school." Dai Shenqiang sighed.

"There is nothing to see but building there."

"I heard that the school had a lot of girls from prestigious families? What do they look like, Brother? Is it like everyone in my class said; they were very graceful and noble-like?" Dai Shenqiang's eyes brimmed with curiosity.

"Not every girl in this school is from a rich and prestigious family. Most of them are pretty normal, like us. If I have to say, those noble-like girls are the most troublesome."

Dai Shenqiang grimaced. "I wouldn't want to interact with those types. But anyway, did you manage to make friends with anyone on your first day of school?"

Listening to his brother's question made him recall that timid girl with glasses again.

'Come to think of it, she seems to be coming from a well-off family too,' Dai Zhiqiang thought inwardly, 'I don't know about graceful and noble-like. She is leaning more on the cute side.'

Dai Zhiqiang's mouth slightly opened when he realized he had just thought about something strange. He blamed his exhaustion for making him think about something weird.

"I met a person. We weren't friends because I didn't even know her name. However, she helped me from getting into trouble with an upperclassman before."

Dai Shenqiang automatically straightened his back before he looked at his brother incredulously.

"Seriously? You said you will stop fighting once you get into a high school, but you are already on the verge of fighting some people on the first day of school?"

The older boy drowned in disagreement. "They were the ones who started it first."

"But still, you can't act carelessly like before. One mistake, and your scholarship will be revoked!"

"Yeah, that's why that girl really saved me. I could arrive home faster and find Father faster thanks to her."

"Oh. Then, you must really thank that girl. Don't frown and say rude things to her. Thank her sincerely."

"What kind of person do you think I am? Of course, I know that."

Dai Shenqiang shrugged. "You made many girls cry before, so I thought I should warn you beforehand."

Dai Zhiqiang didn't want to talk about that topic anymore, so he diverted the conversation. "Uncle Guang didn't come as expected."

"Yeah, but I kind of expected this, actually. Well, at least he wasn't cold-hearted enough to abandon his sick brother. We shouldn't hope for more things from him, considering his personality."

Dai Zhiqiang pondered about it in silence. It would be nice if his uncle simply forgot or didn't have time to visit.

'But what is this unsettling feeling I have inside?'

He had been trying to reach his uncle for some time, but he couldn't reach him at all.

Dai Zhiqiang thought he was probably busy, so he would send him a message from time to time, informing news about his father. Yet, not a single response came.

"I'm sure he will come when we least expect it again. For now, let's just focus on Father's condition first."

Dai Zhiqiang had no choice but to agree with his little brother. "You're right. Let's do that."

***

Dai Zhiqiang had to swallow a bitter pill a week later, knowing that Dai Guang had tricked him.

The money in his father's account was nowhere near the amount written on the agreement his uncle made him sign back then.

Added with the fact that his uncle practically disappeared after taking care of Dai Bolin's surgery fee, it wasn't hard for him to guess what had happened.

Dai Zhiqiang covered his face with his hand, feeling like the world had fallen on him.

How could he, out of all people, fall for such a scam? Was he so desperate to find quick money that he became muddle-headed?

"It was stupid of me to even think that person can be reliable." Dai Zhiqiang let out a burst of self-mocking laughter before punching the wall out of frustration.

"That bastard. Where did he get that money from? Wait until I find him. I will make him disappear for real!" Dai Zhiqiang hissed in an abnormally low voice as his eyes swirled with darkness. His whole body emanated a murderous aura, and he had to restrain his urge to wreak havoc in a public place.

He felt like killing someone, so he walked around to cool his head first. He couldn't let his family see him like this.

As much as he felt wronged and angry, he knew drowning in such emotions would bring nothing.

The only thing he regretted was that he noticed it too late. He was pretty sure Dai Guang had run far away with almost half of the loan he took by now.

'He must have made it, so our family had to pay for those debts. The question is, from where did he get that amount of money? I doubt the business he kept talking about is legal, either.'

While Dai Zhiqiang was immersed in his thoughts, he saw two men approaching a lone kid standing near the traffic signs. The two men didn't resemble the kid, and their clothes looked shabby compared to the kid's expensive-looking uniform.

Dai Zhiqiang didn't want to judge someone by their appearance alone, but those two men looked suspicious no matter what.

The kid looked like he was only five or six years old. Dai Zhiqiang looked around, but there was no sign of the kid's parents anywhere.

His mind immediately thought of the worst-case scenario, and he couldn't just sit back and watch anymore.