Rebirth: Once Again With You

Thankfully, nothing happened until he reached her room. She locked the door behind her and opened the window slightly to let the nauseating rotten smell come out. While doing all these, her mind couldn't stop working.

'If it's not those girls, then who else? Hu Jian again? But I really have no idea who he is.'

Li Caiyi tried hard to recall her past life, but once again, she couldn't find anything related to Hu Jian.

Her high school life used to be very uneventful, and she only went to school because she had to. She barely made any interaction with anyone in school except for her siblings and Meng Renshu, so something like this could never have happened in her previous life.

Li Caiyi couldn't decide which direction she should go, but for now, she assumed it would be best not to tell anyone about this.

Whoever the culprit was, they knew where she lived, and those photos were primarily taken in the school, although there were also some photos of when she came out and entered the apartment building.

"Are they stalking me? That's creepy," Li Caiyi couldn't help but shudder, thinking that someone probably monitored her movement even now.

Retaking a deep breath, Li Caiyi decided to lessen the amount she went out of the house. At least until she could find out who the culprit was.

For precaution, she sent the picture she took to Detective Tang and requested his service again. She needed him to crack the case for her.

"I hope this can be resolved fast. I have a bad feeling about this."

Left with nothing to do, Li Caiyi dragged herself to the sink to fetch a rag and wipe the wet floor. The sticky sensation did nothing to shift her attention from the turmoil inside her.

***

Three days passed by uneventfully. There was only a week left for summer break, and she spent every day writing and doing her homework.

Li Caiyi dared not to come out of the house recklessly and even went so far as to discuss the matter of her novel with Shao Jingfei via video call.

It was cowardly, but when she recalled how she almost died in a place no one saw, a sense of apprehension engulfed her.

She would check her phone from time to time, expecting a call or text from Detective Tang, but she hadn't received any reply yet.

"Is he that busy?" Li Caiyi bit her lips anxiously. She planned to resolve the matter as quietly as possible, but she probably would need to call the police instead if this went on.

Ultimately, she decided to wait for one more day before deciding what she should do next.

Then, her phone vibrated, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Shenqiang?" Li Caiyi's brows raised slightly before she picked up the call. "Hello?"

"Caiyi, are you free right now?" Dai Shenqiang replied with a somewhat solemn voice.

"Yes, I am. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just want to talk for a bit. Can we meet up today?"

Li Caiyi hesitated for a moment. "Did something happen? You don't sound energetic like your usual self."

"Nothing happened, really. If you are busy, then never mind."

"No, wait. I'm not busy; it's just…." Li Caiyi contemplated a bit on how to explain. "....not convenient for me to go outside right now, but I can't tell you why. Can we talk through the phone instead?"

"I see. Well, it's not anything big per se. I was just discouraged by everything."

"Is it about your school choice again?" Li Caiyi asked softly. Dai Shenqiang mentioned it a few times in passing about how he couldn't decide which high school he wanted to enter after this.

"En. My brother said I can go to any school I like,  but you know I can't possibly do that."

This problem might seem trivial for Li Caiyi, who knew now that Dai Zhiqiang had a strong backer behind him. Still, it was probably frustrating for Dai Shenqiang, who knew nothing. The worst thing was she couldn't tell him about Dai Zhiqiang's job.

"Shenqiang, I'm sure your brother will be happy if you pursue your dream rather than forcing yourself to do something you don't like. If you are worried, why don't you find an art school with a scholarship program?"

"Sadly, there is none around this area. I can't go to faraway school because no one would care for our father, with Big Brother busy with his study and work."

"How about Shao Jingfei's offer? Have you thought about it yet?"

"I did." There was a brief pause before he continued, "But honestly, I'm worried about it."

"Why? I think it's an excellent opportunity for you."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to let it go once I try my hand on it." Dai Shenqiang admitted with a sad tone.

"Our family situation is not good, and I know this isn't the time for me to act selfishly. But I know myself the best. I know I won't be able to hold myself back once I take a step further.

So I returned to my house and tried to fix the manhwa I had made before, following Big Brother Shao's guidance. But it never worked out. No matter how many times I re-do it, it just didn't come out right. I felt even more terrible because of my failure.

This feeling weighed me down, but I couldn't talk to anyone about it. I'm sorry, Caiyi. Even if I sound pathetic, please don't laugh at me."

"Why would you even think like that? There's no way I would think of you as pathetic." Li Caiyi harrumphed, feigning an angry expression.

Dai Shenqiang's dilemma was understandable, and given that he was barely in his 14, those emotions must torture him greatly. He had to observe his steps carefully from such a young age. Anyone would feel stressed.

Li Caiyi was frustrated. If only she could tell him everything and give him the peace of mind he deserved.

"Please don't tell Big Brother too about this. I don't want him to burden him more with my unnecessary worry."

"Don't say sad things like that."

Li Caiyi found it hard to say 'he won't mind', so she chose a different approach.

"How about if I accompany you, then? I will ask Jingfei if it's possible or not. If he says yes, then I'll come with you."

"Caiyi, you don't need to do that. I'm already lame enough as it is. I don't want to look even more pathetic in front of you."

Li Caiyi found his words quite strange but decided not to pay too much attention. "We are just going to accept his invitation to look around. What's the harm in it? Who knows? A new choice will probably appear when you do it."

There was a long silence from the other side. Li Caiyi was worried she probably had gone over the line, but she couldn't help herself.

Dai Shenqiang's talents were too good to be left behind just like that.

"If you don't come with me, then I'll tell your brother about what you told me today."

"Wait! That's cheating!" Dai Shenqiang exclaimed in shock.

"I don't care. You will come with me whether you like it or not. Shenqiang, nothing will change if you stop in your place. If you want to gain something, take a risk. Didn't you say you want to change and help your brother?"