Rebirth: Once Again With You

Thinking about it like that made him depressed. He tried to ignore this ugly feeling, but the jealousy kept filling him like air filling in a balloon. He feared that someday those feelings would explode within him.

"I heard a little about what happened," Dai Zhiqiang said, unable to stand her silence any longer. "You were trying to stop those people from harming Senior Meng."

Li Caiyi almost forgot about that. Rather than explaining Li Chunhua's circumstances, this one was a far easier way to explain. It wasn't a lie either.

"Yes. Brother Renshu tried to stop them when they wanted to do a body search on me. They beat him up badly, so I have to threaten them."

"You threatened them?"

"Their leader wants to see me, unscathed. It means they can't hurt me. So I told them I will hurt myself if they harm anyone in the hall."

"And that's how you got the wound on your neck?"

Li Caiyi touched her neck and wasn't surprised to feel the rough texture of the bandage on it. She dared not to look at Dai Zhiqiang's eyes. Even from his voice alone, she could tell he was terribly upset.

Dai Zhiqiang heaved a long sigh. "Judging from your silence, you must have already known how reckless you are, right? I want you to think hard about what happened and reflect on your actions today."

"Yes, I'm sorry." Li Caiyi replied weakly.

Dai Zhiqiang caressed her hair again. "What should I do with you? The part where you can bravely stand up for others is what I like about you, yet I hate to see you in danger because of that."

"Zhi…"

"Please, don't act recklessly when I'm not there. If something were to happen to you, I probably would go crazy."

Li Caiyi held his hand to her cheeks and tenderly nudged it. "This isn't your fault at all. On the contrary, you saved me again, Zhi. I promise I will be more careful next time, so please don't be sad."

Dai Zhiqiang almost lost her breath seeing Li Caiyi acting in a spoiled manner like this. She was like a shy kitten who tried to be affectionate with him for the first time. Her flushed face, and those moist eyes as she looked up at him pleadingly…would be the death of him someday.

'She really knows how to push my button, doesn't she?'

It was embarrassing, but he had to admit he was the weaker side of this relationship. He could never win against her. Not that he ever tried to win either. It didn't matter what she did to him, as long as she had him in her heart like this.

"Ahem. I'm sorry to interrupt, but can we ask a few questions to you?"

The sweet atmosphere between them was instantly ruined when a middle-aged man in a long coat stood behind Dai Zhiqiang.

Li Caiyi released his hand in a hurry and cleared her throat to ease her fluster. "Yes, how may we help you?"

The middle-aged man showed his police badge before he took out a note from his coat pocket. "I appreciate your cooperation, young lady. There are few things we'd like to confirm with you."

"Wait, she had just regained her consciousness. I know this is for investigation, but can it wait until she fully recovers?" Dai Zhiqiang interjected.

The policeman was unfazed as he replied, "It would be nice if we have all the time in the world, but we need all the information we can gather about those dangerous people as soon as possible, before they make another move. I get that everyone was in shock, and the lady is not an exception, but this is urgent."

The rough translation of that was: "The criminals are still on the run and can hurt other people, yet you want us to wait? Everyone can answer the question just fine so you won't get special treatment here."

This policeman really didn't come here to play or offer words of consolation. Li Caiyi quickly answered before Dai Zhiqiang got into an argument with the impatient policeman.

"I get it. I will answer your questions, if it's something I can answer."

"The young lady is very understanding. I thank you for making my job easier."

The latter statement was dripping with sarcasm and obviously directed at Dai Zhiqiang. Li Caiyi laughed dryly and held Dai Zhiqiang's arm gently.

"Zhi, on second thought, I think I want to eat and drink, after all. Can I trouble you to buy some for me?"

"Will you be okay if I leave now?"

Li Caiyi preferred to have him outside rather than potentially argue with the policeman if he stayed here.

"Yes. You should eat too. Take your time."

Dai Zhiqiang cast a warning look at the policeman before he nodded. "Then wait for me here. I'll be back."

After he left, the policeman took the seat beside her bed and opened his notebook. "Now, if you can answer some of my questions…"

***

Li Caiyi answered the question one by one. Having a policeman questioning her like this brought back bad memories, so she wanted to wrap it up as soon as possible. She replied just like she remembered and even gave him the details of the masked man she met.

"So, are you certain he didn't say anything about his purpose or something like that?"

The masked man warned her about something, but she was pretty sure it wasn't his main purpose, so she shook her head. "No. That man barely spoke anything before someone came to my rescue."

The policeman looked skeptical, but he chose to ask something else instead. "The one who saved you, is the young man who was with you just now, right? Can you tell me a bit more detail about that?"

Li Caiyi wasn't sure what he was trying to find out, so she carefully chose her words before answering. "I'm sorry, but I was so frightened at that time that I didn't really pay attention. The door suddenly broke open, then I fainted…"

He didn't look satisfied by her answer but moved on to the next question nonetheless. "About the man who got injured badly, I heard he is someone close to you?"

"Oh, yes. He is my childhood friend. Do you know what happened to him afterwards?" Li Caiyi asked worriedly.

"He suffered a few broken bones, but his life is not in danger. His father was waiting by his side when I went to check up on him."

Meng Yaoshu was by his son's side? Does it mean those people didn't kidnap him?

Li Caiyi was completely clueless about those people's motives. The fact that they managed to get away unnoticed before the police surrounded the place was baffling as well.

"I see."

The policeman wrote something on his note before he stood up from his seat. "I think that concludes my questioning session. Thank you very much for your time, young lady. I'm sure you must be tired and shocked, so rest up. I wish you speedy recovery."

Li Caiyi nodded politely, and the policeman took his leave. It went smoother than she thought.

Not long after that, Dai Zhiqiang was back with a bag of food from the store. "It's finished already?"

"En. He only asked me a few questions."

Dai Zhiqiang patted her head gently before showing her the things he bought. "Good job. Now you have to eat something first."

Li Caiyi giggled when she saw the sheer amount of it. Aside from a variety of foods, there were a few drinks too so she could choose. The problem was everything here was her favorite.

"Thank you, Zhi."

"Don't mention it," Dai Zhiqiang scratched his cheek awkwardly before asking, "Say, do you think we should tell your family about this? They're probably worried about you."

Aside from Li Chunhua, Li Caiyi didn't tell anyone in her family about the anniversary party. However, after how she kicked her out of her apartment last time, it would be awkward if they met now.

"No. I'm not hurt too badly, and calling them now will only unnecessarily alarm them. I'll tell them myself when the time is right."

"Are you sure? What about your sister?"

"Well, we are sort of in a fight right now, so all more reason to hide it for now."

"Really? You guys are usually so close. What happened?"

Li Caiyi didn't expect him to be so curious about it. "Well it's the usual sibling fight. We didn't agree about something and ended up fighting."

"I see. If your sister knows about this, I bet she would make a big fuss here."

"Ahaha, you have a point. She'd probably come at me while crying."

"Xiaoyi!!"

"Yes, just like that. Hm?"

Before she could finish her words, someone tackled her while shouting out her name.