Rebirth: Once Again With You

Li Caiyi stood in front of the S International High School building with a determined look. She had plenty of rest and time to think about what she wanted to do, leading her to this decision.

Clutching her hand in front of her chest, she took a deep breath before walking into the school.

Her arrival didn't go unnoticed by other students. Whispers and murmurs around her made Li Caiyi uneasy, but she steeled herself. She confidently told Dai Zhiqiang she could handle this alone, so she couldn't back down.

Ignoring people's inquisitive gazes, Li Caiyi went to her classroom. Her eyes landed on her three friends immediately. The surprise on their faces was apparent, and they immediately rushed toward her.

"Caiyi, is that you?" Zhou Ya asked in a mixture of disbelief and shock. "What happened to you?"

"Wh-Where are your glasses? Can you see without them?" Chen Ruolan added.

Among them, only Feng Nian seemed calm. She stood there observing Li Caiyi from up to down before a smirk crept up her face. "Not bad. You look ready to declare war."

Li Caiyi felt calmer upon hearing that.

From now on, she won't hide her face anymore. Although it was scary, she had no intention of showing that to her enemy. Taking off her glasses was just her way of motivating herself.

"Does it look weird?" Li Caiyi nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. Among people in school, she was very anxious about how her friends would react.

"No, not at all!" Zhou Ya quickly replied, "On the contrary, you looked so radiant I almost couldn't recognize you."

"I thought you were Li Chunhua at first." Chen Ruolan grinned. "But upon closer look, I know it was you."

"We are worried because you suddenly passed out yesterday. We want to apologize for pressuring you yesterday." Feng Nian said apologetically. The other two also had remorseful looks on their faces.

Li Caiyi shook her head. "Nothing. I was just not in my best condition. Everything happened so suddenly, and it overwhelmed me. I should be the one to apologize for making you worry."

They exchanged brief glances before breaking out in chuckles. Li Caiyi stared at her desk and found it was clean, unlike yesterday. Her friends must have helped her to clean it.

A surge of warmth spread all over her body. Knowing how caring her friends were made her grateful for this second chance she had.

"Guys, I don't know if you will believe me or not, but actually—"

Chen Ruolan clamped her mouth shut with her hand before she could finish her sentences. "You don't have to explain anything. We believe in you. Yesterday, we were just in so much shock. Your pictures were displayed publicly, so we sort of panicked."

"Yeah. We know better how much you like Dai Zhiqiang." Zhou Ya cleared her throat awkwardly before adding, "But we don't mind if you want to give us the juicy details."

"Geez, you and your maiden's desire for a love story is so troublesome." Chen Ruolan nudged Zhou Ya with a disapproving look.

That was probably the first time Zhou Ya was rendered speechless by Chen Ruolan. Feng Nian burst out in laughter.

Watching her friends act normal in front of her again made her smile in relief. "Thanks, guys. Truly."

"We are friends. So this much is a given to do."

The word' 'friends' had never sounded more beautiful. Even when she doubted herself, as long as some people believed in her, Li Caiyi wouldn't regret her path.

"Guys, let me make this clear, I'm innocent. And I intend to make whoever slandered me as this apologies."

Li Caiyi deliberately made her voice louder for everyone in the class. Her classmates had stopped whatever they were doing when she entered the classroom and opened their ears wide to listen to what they talked about. She would gladly answer their curiosity.

"Do you know who did this?" Feng Nian crossed her hand with a severe look on her face. "Too bad there was no one who saw the culprit."

"I have an idea, but there was no conclusive evidence," Li Caiyi answered.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Chen Ruolan smiled wildly as if ready to cause havoc. "Whoever that person is, I won't let them scot-free after hurting my friend like that."

"Now, let's not get too ahead of yourself." Zhou Ya sat her down on the chair before she leaped out of the classroom. Then, she shifted her gaze to Li Caiyi. "Though, I agree with the first half of what she said."

Li Caiyi smiled softly. She initially wanted to take care of this matter by herself. Still, the eagerness in her friend's eyes tickled her mischievous side. It might be more fun to do this together.

"Yes. I think I really can use a little help here." Li Caiyi said in a mysterious tone.

Feng Nian smirked evilly. "It looks like you already have a plan in mind. Tell us."

Li Caiyi grinned before leaning closer to them. "I need you guys to…."

***

Li Junjie couldn't concentrate at all. The final exam was just around the corner, and he needed every second to study. Now that he had become the head of the family, he had to work harder if he wanted to support his family.

"Haa.."

Yet, Meng Renshu kept sighing beside him, disturbing him from memorizing the English vocabulary in his notes.

Ultimately, he couldn't ignore him anymore and sighed in defeat. "What is it now?"

"Junjie, how can you be so calm? Haven't you heard about Xiaoyi's scandal?"

Li Junjie's hand stiffened for a moment. There was a flicker of emotion in his eyes, but it quickly settled down as he replied, "I did. But so long as we don't know who did it, there's nothing we can do."

Meng Renshu's shoulder slumped weakly at his indifferent response. "I offered my help, but Xiaoyi adamantly refused me. Can't you convince your sister somehow?"

"Do you think she'll listen to me? She is guarded against me as much as she is to you."

"I can't deny that. But Xiaoyi must have a hard time. I'm very worried about her."

Li Junjie stared at his best friend strangely. "If you are so concerned, why didn't you just help her? You are not the type to back down just because you are told to."

"Well, this is Xiaoyi we are talking about. I don't want to make any more bad impression on her."

"I'm sure her opinion of you can't get any lower."

Meng Renshu rolled his eyes. "Spare me your sarcasm. Stop studying and pay attention to your sister, for god's sake!"

Li Junjie: "...."

The sound of music from the television suddenly stopped, and the chirpy voice of the broadcaster reverberated in the classroom.

Li Junjie never cared about school broadcasting before. Still, when he glanced briefly at the television, he saw a familiar face sitting face to face with the broadcaster.

"Renshu, I think your worry is unnecessary."

Meng Renshu still had his head on the table as he replied indifferently. "If you don't want to help, at least don't lecture me."

"No, I mean you don't have to do anything. Xiaoyi already has her own plan."

"How do you know that?" This time, Meng Renshu actually raised his head with interest. Li Junjie said nothing but pointed at the television, showing Li Caiyi's face appeared in it.

"I should say, she had gotten bolder as time passed."

'Sure enough, she bounced back with vigor. She didn't need my help in this.'

"How interesting." Li Junjie commented with a subtle smirk on his face.