Rebirth: Once Again With You

In the dining room of the Li household, Li Chunhua appeared absentminded. She kept stabbing her meal with the fork in her hand. Her eyes were on the steak in front of her, yet she made no attempt to put it in her mouth.

Su Suyin noticed that and couldn't help but look at Li Chunhua worriedly. "Xiaohua, what's wrong? Is the food not to your liking?"

Li Chunhua: "...."

"If you don't want to eat steak, then do you want to eat something else?"

It didn't seem like she could hear her mother's voice. Su Suyin became even more worried and glanced at Li Junjie, who was also curious about Li Chunhua's silence. If it were the usual her, by now, the dining room should have already been filled with her chattering.

Knowing her, Li Junjie bet this has something to do with Li Caiyi. It had been a while since he last saw his other sister, so he took the initiative to ask first.

"Did Xiaoyi say something to you?"

Li Chunhua's movement abruptly halted. She stopped abusing her steak and pouted at him instead. "Big Brother, you won't believe what Xiaoyi did to me. I can't believe her!"

"What happened? Care to explain to us?" Su Suyin responded with concern.

Li Chunhua didn't immediately answer. She recalled how Li Caiyi dismissed her last time and how she packed her bag in a hurry the following day out of anger.

Since her sister invited her to stay with her, Li Chunhua naturally thought that she would stay with her for the rest of the summer break. It never occurred to her that Li Caiyi was impatient to kick her out.

Just thinking about it soured her mood. She didn't feel like talking about it.

"Forget it. We just had a little argument, that's all." Li Chunhua said as she stood up from her seat. "I don't have any appetite now. I will eat later."

Without waiting for their response, Li Chunhua briskly walked away to her room.

"Jie. Do you think she will be alright?" Su Suyin asked.

"Who knows? It doesn't look like she will talk, so just let her be for now, Mother."

Su Suyin was reluctant. She fiddled with her fingers before finally asking. "That… Have you heard any news from Xiaoyi recently?"

"Mother,  Xiaoyi, and I aren't that close. I'm afraid you choose the wrong person to ask."

"But still, you are her brother. Have you ever contacted her even once?"

"I don't see the purpose of that. She will eventually call once she needs my help." Li Junjie said calmly before taking a sip from his glass. He wanted to end that conversation but couldn't bear to look at Su Suyin's sad face.

"Mother, Xiaoyi doesn't like me that much from the beginning. I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable by pestering her. It's enough to have one person in this house to do that."

Su Suyin's face brightened at his response. "I see. Despite everything, you are still concerned about your sister, after all. I don't think you should worry that much, though. Xiaoyi may need some time to open up to you, but she will soon get used to it."

Li Junjie didn't know what to say, so he just nodded along with her. That made Su Suyin happier.

"I was worried that my children's relationship had become estranged, but I'm glad to hear you guys are faring fine." Su Suyin said weakly. "This is all mother and father's fault. None of you should bear any harm from it."

Li Junjie sighed. "You think too much, Mother."

"You're right. I'm sorry for making you listen to my rant. You must be troubled."

"No, that's not what I–"

His words stopped midway as Su Suyin shoved a plate of salad his way. "Don't just eat the meat. Eat this too."

***

"Haaa, am I stupid? I can't believe I lost control of my mouth. Why do I have to say that in front of Mom?" Li Chunhua heaved a long sigh.

Even now, Su Suyin was still very sensitive about Li Caiyi leaving the house. She blamed herself for not being able to protect and love her properly. Mentioning her name in front of Su Suyin was like scratching her wound.

Li Chunhua didn't want to stay put and think about her fight with her sister anymore, so she grabbed her phone and contacted Shao Jingfei.

"Hello?"

"Jingfei, you are in the cafe now, right? I will drop by after this, so have a strawberry cake ready for me by the time I arrive."

"Excuse me? Our cafe doesn't accept phone orders. We only receive orders on the spot."

"I reject your rejection. Customers are the king, so just do as I say!"

Shao Jingfei groaned from the other side. "Why are you doing this to me? This is harassment."

"You make me sound like a bad guy. What's the problem with it? I will pay sufficiently, and it's not like you have anything better to do, aren't you?"

"Tsk tsk, that's where you are wrong. I happen to be pretty busy at the moment, so I'd appreciate it if you don't disturb me."

"Huh? Today is not your meeting day with Xiaoyi, and the cafe will be empty anyway. What are you busy with?"

"How do you know about our meeting day? Wait, forget I asked. I think I already know the answer." There was a brief pause before he continued, "And you are underestimating me. I have an important plan, so don't come here today because I will not be present."

"Huh? That's rare. Is it work-related?"

"No, just a personal affair."

"Don't tell me you will go out on a date with someone?"

"Yeah, how do you know?"

Li Chunhua's eyes slightly widened. She asked that jokingly, totally not expecting him to respond affirmatively.

Shao Jingfei didn't have any girlfriends as far as she knew, so where did this date idea come from?

"You… Since when did you have a girlfriend? This is the first time I ever heard about this."

"She's not my girlfriend, but she is still the most important woman to me nonetheless. There's no difference, don't you agree?"

"Oh…"

Li Chunhua didn't know how to respond. She had never thought that someone as laid back and easygoing as Shao Jingfei could say something so serious like that.

Moreover, to think he would ever consider a woman as someone the most important to her was shocking. Even though it was supposed to be expected for him to have someone he liked, Li Chunhua didn't see it coming at all.

'Huh? Why do I suddenly feel uncomfortable again?'

There was a dull ache inside her chest. Li Chunhua put her hand in front of her chest and pondered whether she had forgotten to take her morning medicine.

"Hello? Are you still there?"

"Oh! Yes…" Li Chunhua replied awkwardly. For some reason, she couldn't think of what to say.

"You already have my answer, so there's that. Don't come here today. I will prepare a strawberry cake for you next time."

"...Okay."

"I'll make sure to put a lot of strawberries in it, just the way you like it. Don't sulk and let this one go, alright?"

He spoke like an adult trying to coax a little girl by promising her a treat if she behaved well. It didn't make her feel better at all.

"I have to prepare to go out now. Talk to you later."

Shao Jingfei quickly hung up after he said that. Li Chunhua couldn't even ask where he planned to go or who was the girl so important to him.

Slowly after regaining her wits together, she threw her phone to the bed and harrumphed.

"Hmph, why should I care about him? Who needs him anyway? I can have plenty of fun by myself!"