Rebirth: Once Again With You

Dai Zhiqiang was so quiet throughout the trip to her apartment. He would answer her questions occasionally, but the conversation never lasted. Li Caiyi had no idea what he was thinking in his mind.

Even after entering her apartment room, the atmosphere was still stiff and awkward.

"Are you hungry? Let me whip something for you real quick." Li Caiyi chirped energetically to dispel the silence.

She was about to walk to the kitchen counter, but her steps halted as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her middle from the back. Her heart pounded loudly in her ribcage.

"Zhi-Zhiqiang?!" She yelped in surprise.

"I can finally hold you like this. I miss you so much."

Dai Zhiqiang's mumbling beside her ears almost gave her a heart attack, but she liked it when he behaved like this. It was nice seeing him feel the same way she did.

Li Caiyi raised her hand and caressed his head lovingly.

"I miss you too. I'm happy you came to pick me up. Thank you."

There was that silence again before he hesitantly spoke, "I'm sorry. Whenever you are in trouble, I always show up late."

"What? So that's what's bothering you all this time?"

Dai Zhiqiang slowly nodded, making Li Caiyi chuckle. "And how could that be your fault? I admit I feel a bit lonely, but what happened to me is not your responsibility. I'm my own person."

"But you always ended up with him…." His voice trailed off. Then he suddenly let go of her. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"Wait!" Li Caiyi quickly clutched his jacket before he could retreat to his shell again. Dai Zhiqiang rarely spoke up his mind, and she certainly wanted to hear it.

"By 'him', you mean Brother Renshu, right? Are you upset because I was with him?"

Dai Zhiqiang: "..."

She took his silence as affirmation. He was so restless he couldn't face her properly, so she interlocked her fingers with his while smiling sweetly at him.

"Zhi, I love you and only you. We talked because I needed to discuss something with him, that's all."

"Is it that important? Can't you discuss it with me instead?"

Li Caiyi was stunned by his question for a moment. She hated to disappoint the expectation on his face, but honesty was the best policy.

"I'm sorry, I don't think that would be convenient. Because this is related to someone's secret."

"I…see."

"Are you mad?"

"No. I don't have a right to question you when I didn't tell you much about myself, either." Dai Zhiqiang traced a circle on her hand before pulling her closer again. "I was just tired. So let me lean on you for a bit."

He abruptly picked her up again, making her let out a yelp while she involuntarily wrapped her arms around his neck. Then, he trudged to the bed and sat on the side while cradling her in his lap.

Li Caiyi was surrounded by his warmth and smell. Her heart soared to heaven as she peered into his handsome face. His eyes were closed as if savoring the moment between them.

Without words, she snuggled closer to him. Her weariness and fear slowly crumbled down, leaving only pure bliss and peacefulness behind. Staying together like this gave them the strength to move forward again.

They stayed like that for a while. Li Caiyi couldn't tell how much time had passed, but she didn't mind.

"Yi Yi, you will stay by my side, right?"

"Is that even a question? Of course, I will," Li Caiyi laughed.

Dai Zhiqiang leaned down and pressed their forehead together. He gazed at her intensely, like trying to peer into her soul. "You once said you would wait for me, but how far are you willing to go for me? You are clearly too good for me."

He was asking for confirmation, yet it sounded like a statement instead. One that was packed with a complicated feeling behind it.

Li Caiyi cupped his face between her hands before pressing a chaste kiss on his forehead. Dai Zhiqiang didn't see that coming, so he only sat there looking stunned.

"You are wrong. If only you remember…you will know that you are the one who is too good for me."

She couldn't bear to face him, so she cast her gaze down. How could she tell him that she felt powerless without him, how much his existence meant for her, without burdening him?

"Zhi, please remember this. You are the reason I can find myself again. I was lost and convinced that I couldn't achieve anything or be truly loved by anyone before. But you saved me from that dangerous thought. That's why…."

Li Caiyi bit her lips, trying to suppress the raging emotion inside her. "Don't say something sad like that again. It feels like you are trying to push me away."

"No!" Dai Zhiqiang quickly pulled her into his embrace. "Sorry, I won't say something like that again. Please don't cry."

Li Caiyi hugged him back fervently, desperately clinging to him to chase away the dark thought inside her mind. His muscular body radiates warmth like no other. It was like an anchor that bound her to reality.

'I came back for this man. I don't want to let him go.'

"Yi Yi, are you hungry?"

Li Caiyi shook her head. Her heart was full, and she didn't want to be separated from him. Not yet.

The world spun before her, and Dai Zhiqiang had laid her down on the soft bed the next thing she knew. He had both of her arms on both sides of her body as he towered over her.

It was like a flashback of what happened the other day. Her body suddenly felt hot at the thought, and judging from his slightly blushed face, he seemed to have the same idea as her.

'Will he touch me again?' Li Caiyi couldn't help but feel expectant. Her heart drummed fast, and she found her sense became keenly sensitive to his every movement.

They gazed at each other, and Li Caiyi felt she could drown in his pitch-black eyes like the moonless sky. His face slowly grew closer, and she involuntarily gripped the sheet beneath her as she closed her eyes.

However, instead of her lips, his kiss landed on her forehead. It was a long and gentle kiss, reminding her of the last kiss he gave her before they jumped off the building.

The sound of his ragged breathing so close to her, the faint sound of their heartbeats, and the warmth from their interlocked hands made her succumb to drowsiness that suddenly assaulted her.

Drowning in his pool of love, she wanted to bask in it forever and never get out again.

Dai Zhiqiang was surprised to find her falling asleep but later smiled helplessly. He nudged her softly before laying down beside her.

He pulled her closer until their bodies were tangled and pressed together. "I'm the weaker side in this relationship. You can do anything, and I will still want you. Can't you see that?"

He twirled her hair on his fingers before pressing a kiss on it.

His eyes watched her sleeping face possessively until he also slowly gave in to sleepiness.