Rebirth: Once Again With You

"Xiaoyi, I'm so worried about you. Are you alright? Those people didn't hurt you, did they? Wait, what's with that bandage on your neck?! What happened?!"

Li Caiyi blinked her eyes a few times as Li Chunhua kept barraging her with so many questions. Speak of the devil. Did she come here as soon as she saw the news?

"Xiaohua, what are you doing here?"

Li Chunhua grabbed her shoulder while frowning as if saying what-kind-of-question-is-that,

"Of course, I'm here to check on you. I know today is supposed to be the anniversary party of your company, so I was so afraid that something had happened to you. Now, your turn to answer my question. Is the wound on your neck the only wound you have? You'd better not hide anything from me!"

"Xiaohua, you should calm yourself down first. You are bothering the other patients." Li Caiyi took her hand off her shoulder with a sigh. It didn't seem like Li Chunhua remembered their fight, but her excessive worry was already problematic as it was.

"As you can see, I only have minor injuries. I will ask the doctor to let me go home after resting for a bit."

"What? You should stay here and let them examine you more. A person's wound is more than what you can see in the eyes, you know? The incident must have shocked you badly."

Li Chunhua wasn't wrong, but Li Caiyi preferred not to stay in a place where anyone could come in. Not when the person who targeted her was still roaming around out there.

"No. I think I'm fine. Staying here will only make me feel discouraged."

Li Chunhua opened her mouth to say something more, but she was stopped by Dai Zhiqiang.

"Li Chunhua, I don't mean to interrupt, but you shouldn't badger her like that. She is still exhausted."

Li Chunhua slightly flinched, as if she had just registered his presence here. A second later, she sneered at him.

"So you are here. Great timing. I was wondering where you have been all this time. I thought you had dropped dead somewhere."

"Xiaohua!" Li Caiyi pulled her sister's arm lightly with a warning look in her eyes. "What are you saying to Zhiqiang?"

Li Chunhua pried off her arm from her sister's hold and pointed her finger at Dai Zhiqiang. "This guy has been neglecting you all summer break and you still want to defend him? Hey, why did you let something like this happen to her? Aren't you supposed to be by her side and protect her?!"

Dai Zhiqiang kept his silence and didn't try to argue back. Li Caiyi was worried he would take what Li Chunhua said to heart, so she harshly rebuked her.

"How can this be Dai Zhiqiang's fault? He has his own life to take care of and I have mine. I was the one who decided to attend that party, and whatever happened to me afterward is my responsibility. Xiaohua, if you are here just to stir trouble, then I'd appreciate it if you leave now."

Li Chunhua looked at her in disbelief. Her eyes shook wildly as traces of hurt filled her eyes. "Xiaoyi, are you kicking me out again? Do you hate me so much that you don't want anything to do with me anymore?"

Talking with Li Chunhua could be such a pain in the ass. Li Caiyi took a deep breath to control herself before talking in a milder tone.

"I will not do this if only you know how to read the room and behave yourself. Zhiqiang was the one who saved me from those scary people. Once again, I owe him my life. So sister or not, I won't let anyone talk bad about him!"

Li Chunhua was aggrieved. She couldn't accept that her sister scolded her in front of the last person she wished to see. However, under Li Caiyi's urging gaze she had no choice but to give up.

"I get it. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

"The one you should be apologizing for is not me."

Li Chunhua gritted her teeth. "Dai Zhiqiang, I apologize for my outburst."

"....It's fine," Dai Zhiqiang replied.

Li Caiyi peered at his face to gauge his emotion, but he avoided it by looking elsewhere. He really took Li Chunhua's words into heart, didn't he?

"Hey, so everyone is here. Did I miss something?"

Except for Li Chunhua, they simultaneously turned their head toward the familiar voice. There, Shao Jingfei stood with his usual grin on his face.

"Jingfei! You are here too?" Li Caiyi asked in a sort of automatic response.

"Yeah. I came to check on my old man and brother. Since they seemed fine, I came here to check on you next."

Oh yeah, Shao Yufei and Shao Junfei must have been brought here as well, considering how those people took Shao Yufei hostage. It was pretty stupid to ask why Shao Jingfei was here.

"I see. How is your father and brother's condition?"

"My old man is out of cold, but he only suffered minor injuries. As for my brother, he is completely uninjured, except for the mild trauma. How about you?" Shao Jingfei asked as he stared at her neck. "It looks like it hurts a lot."

"No, it doesn't hurt that much," Li Caiyi smiled reassuringly. "I will go home after I rest for a bit."

"That might be for the best. I saw some reporters out there and they have been causing a ruckus for wanting to interview the victim of the incidents. If you stay here, we don't know what kind of insensitive question they will ask you."

"What, really? I didn't see anyone like that at all," Li Chunhua looked surprised.

"You don't say? You ran like an unstoppable bull without any care for your surroundings as soon as we arrived here."

Li Chunhua folded her arm in front of her chest defensively. "I don't remember doing any of that. I was very calm throughout the journey."

Shao Jingfei rolled his eyes, while Li Caiyi was very interested in this new information. "Both of you came here together? Were you two together before you came here?"

She meant to ask that casually, but their reaction couldn't be even more different. Li Chunhua jolted and awkwardly darted her eyes around, as though trying to hide something. Meanwhile, Shao Jingfei had a wide grin on his face, like someone in a very good mood.

"Oh, we happened to meet outside today, so we hung out together. Isn't that right, Chunhua?" Shao Jingfei looked at her while smiling, but Li Chunhua avoided his stare and played with the end of her hair instead.

"Y-yes. It's just a coincidence we met. If not, why would I come here with you?"

"Well, that's a pretty cold response. Who is the one who said that she will accompany me throughout the day?"

Li Chunhua's face turned red from his teasing. "Shut up!"

Witnessing their banter, Li Caiyi felt that there was a subtle difference in how they interacted before. Before this, their bickering was pretty much very childish, with each of them refusing to back down. But now, their interaction seemed more controlled—almost flirtatious even.

And there was something fishy about Li Chunhua's reaction too. Was she always this restless when facing Shao Jingfei before? Most of the time, she ordered him around like it was nothing.

Li Caiyi could tell that something definitely happened between these two. She was so excited; she wanted to pull her sister to the side and forced her to spill the tea.