Rebirth: Once Again With You

Under the fine blue sky, the boy sang the most solemn happy birthday song Li Chunhua had ever heard. Alone, with only graves around him. The sight of his lonely back was very much in contrast with the smile on his face.

"Mom, the cake is delicious. I will leave a piece here so you can eat it later."

Despite receiving no answer, Shao Jingfei kept talking about mundane things that had happened to him recently. He was smiling, yet it pained Li Chunhua to see the strain on the corner of his mouth.

Li Chunhua felt uncomfortable. How she hoped she could unsee the sight in front of her, but something inside her urged her never to take her eyes off him.

'He really likes to make people worry about him. Now I can't leave even when I want to!'

From what she observed, it appeared that Shao Jingfei spent his birthday here every year. That would explain why he was adamant about refusing to attend the party Li Caiyi mentioned.

"The most important woman in his life. His mother must have meant so much to him." Li Chunhua mumbled in a small voice.

Watching Shao Jingfei like this, a spark of anger lit up inside her. He might be an illegitimate child, but wasn't this just too much? No matter what, his biological father should have at least been by his side when he needed him the most. And that was today!

He made him work for them but refused to accompany him to his mother's grave. What kind of messy relationship was this?

Li Chunhua clenched her hand into a fist as she tried to restrain herself. She felt like bolting out and screaming this injustice for the world to hear. Her blood was boiling thinking how much the Shao family had wronged Shao Jingfei.

"Oh, I forgot to bring water. Sorry, Mom. I'll run and buy it for you now."

Li Chunhua perked up hearing that. Then, she saw Shao Jingfei stand up and run towards the cemetery's entrance, leaving his cake half-eaten.

Using this chance, she walked out of her hiding and inched closer to the grave. There was a photo of a beautiful middle-aged woman in front of it, inside a beautiful white frame. This woman must be Shao Jingfei's mother.

"They look alike. Except that he looked much more like a troublemaker."

A smile crept up her face, recalling the first time she met Shao Jingfei. At that time, her impression of him was the worst. His words kept pushing the wrong button, and she always argued with him whenever they came across each other.

'Well, it's not like we stop arguing altogether, but at least it's a friendly argument now.'

"So Auntie's name is Cao Mei." Li Chunhua said as she read the name of the plate.

Standing where he previously stood, Li Chunhua could almost feel his deep grief and loneliness. If only his mother were still by his side, he wouldn't be spending his birthday like this. Surely, his mother would prefer him to be happy too.

Li Chunhua decided to stop thinking, as it only made her feel worse. Her thought didn't matter because she had never gone through the painful times Shao Jingfei had.

Even being here was already a mistake in itself. Li Chunhua felt like she had stepped into a sacred realm where no outsiders should trespass. She shouldn't have followed him today.

"I should leave now while Jingfei isn't looking."

Li Chunhua spotted some wildflowers growing near the tree she had hidden earlier, so she went back there and plucked some of them before offering them to Cao Mei's grave.

"I'm sorry for the shabby flower, Auntie. I promise I will bring a better flower next time."

She prayed for her inwardly and paid her respect before leaving the perimeter. To avoid bumping into Shao Jingfei, she deliberately used another entrance to the cemetery.

Although Li Chunhua was relieved about not getting caught, there was turmoil inside her.

Was it alright to leave him on his own? Would it be better…if I go now?

Li Chunhua was deep in thought and only snapped to her senses when someone pulled her and turned her around. She wasn't prepared for it and almost lost her balance if not for the other person who held her tightly by the shoulder.

"Chunhua? What are you doing here?"

Li Chunhua's eyes widened when she saw Shao Jingfei standing in front of her, with an equally shocked expression on his face.

She was facing the exact person who plagued her mind until a moment ago, which made her mind go blank for a moment before she finally realized that he had caught her! She quickly pushed him away from her.

"W-why should I explain to you? So you can be here, and I'm not?"

Shao Jingfei stared at her in confusion. She was clearly flustered to meet him here, like someone with something to hide.

"I didn't say that. I just didn't expect to bump into you here today. Did you come here to visit someone too?"

Li Chunhua couldn't see his straightforward eyes, so she looked at the ground as she spoke. "T-That's right."

"Hmm, when did you come here? I have been here for a while, and I didn't see you enter at all."

"I-I just arrived. You probably didn't see me because I used another entrance."

"Really? But you were on your way out of the cemetery when I saw you, though?"

"!!"

Li Chunhua's face became even tenser upon realizing that she had made a slip of the tongue. She blurted without thinking and accidentally exposed herself. What a failure!

While she was panicking and frantic to find an excuse for herself, Shao Jingfei calmly observed her up and down. He had a faint idea as to why Li Chunhua was here, but he quickly brushed off the possibility from his mind.

'Nah. There's no way she's here for that reason.'

Shao Jingfei saw her by chance, but it was not an unpleasant coincidence.

He felt alone in this world up until a few moments ago, but when he saw her back, it felt like a beacon of light suddenly illuminated the darkness inside him. And that light he yearned to have, led his feet to her.

Now that he knew Li Chunhua was here, he felt reluctant to let her go just like that. Although he didn't know the real reason she was here, that wasn't important at all.

Maybe the mood had gotten to him, but Shao Jingfei didn't want to be alone. He wanted her to stay with him longer.

Li Chunhua worked her brain to devise an excuse fast, but before she could think of anything, Shao Jingfei surprised her by saying, "Are you free right now?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, kind of. Why do you ask?"

"If you are free, do you want me to introduce you to 'my most important person'?" Shao Jingfei asked with a genuine smile on his face, very different from the forced one she saw earlier.

His sudden invitation bewildered her, as she didn't see this coming. "Is that…okay with you?"

He nodded with certainty. "Of course. Why wouldn't it be? Come with me!"