Rebirth: Once Again With You

"Thank you for loving me and everything I cared about." Dai Zhiqiang said in a sweet voice.

"Oh? So you do know I have my birthday today. You are so unresponsive in your text and call that I thought you weren't aware of it," Li Caiyi said with a pout.

"About that…" Dai Zhiqiang briefly removed himself from her. Then, he took out his phone from his pocket. It was cracked as if something had smashed it. "I accidentally broke my phone yesterday, so I couldn't get in touch with you. I'm sorry."

"The last time you went missing, something also happened to your phone. What exactly did you do to make your phone into this?" Li Caiyi gazed at his phone apprehensively.

Considering what she witnessed in Ye Wang the other day, she was worried he would be involved in something shady.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" She asked worriedly as she tried to search his body for any visible injury.

Dai Zhiqiang smiled. His previously sullen and gloomy heart soared in happiness. "No, I'm fine. It was just my phone that got damaged."

Li Caiyi's chest tightened at his soft smile. His temperature under her hand felt like it could burn her. She was in a foul mood earlier today, but everything dissipated when she saw him again. Even she thought she had indulged him too much, but she couldn't help when he looked at her so lovingly.

"Zhi, you are misunderstanding something…."

"Hm? What is it?"

Li Caiyi glanced around, and after making sure the coast was clear, she tiptoed as she encircled her arms around his neck. His eyes dilated in surprise when she moved closer to whisper in his ears.

"I'm also a greedy person. Greedy enough to want everything about you, including the people you love. So we are even."

Her melodious voice sounded like exquisite music in his ears. His face blushed to his ears, and he could only stare at her dumbly for a while like he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

Li Caiyi let go of him and took a step back. Seeing his embarrassed face somehow made her even more embarrassed. "Ahem. So that's that. I'm upset because you did it without my consent and in a place where anyone can see us, but it's not like I hate it or anything."

"So, is it okay if I do it when we are alone?" Dai Zhiqiang asked meaningfully. His brows arched in amusement.

She already said this much, and he still wanted her to say more? Li Caiyi felt he became more and more unscrupulous as time passed by.

"Well, I don't know about that. More importantly, I have to go now!"

"Yi Yi, do you want to come to my house tomorrow?"

Li Caiyi automatically raised her head to stare at him in astonishment. A moment after that, a blush crept up her face.

After their talk about excessive skinship, he asked her to come to his house. Was this some kind of a sign from him that he wanted to continue where they left off?

Recalling how wild and masculine he was the last time, Li Caiyi felt her heart would explode.

"Is that a no?" Dai Zhiqiang asked dejectedly, like a sad puppy. "Well, if you don't want to, then we can—"

"Let's go! I want to go!" Li Caiyi answered quickly, almost embarrassingly too eager. But it would be her first visit to the Dai house after a long time, and they would spend their time together too. Could she be blamed for getting excited?

Dai Zhiqiang smiled before planting a peck on her lips again. "You are so cute I want to take a bite of you again. But I will be patient until tomorrow."

***

Li Caiyi's mind was so full of sweet and fluffy clouds throughout the journey that she completely forgot that she had run away from her birthday party. When the taxi she rode on stopped in front of the Li family house, her whole body tensed in anxiety.

She was away for hours, so it wasn't surprising to see that the garden had been cleaned and the decorations were already taken off.

The party was over, but she didn't make it as expected.

Li Caiyi hesitated for some time before she finally entered the house. To her surprise, it wasn't Li Chunhua or Su Suyin who waited for her but Li Junjie.

He elegantly sat in the living room with her legs folded, with a book in his hand. He calmly raised his head when he heard her enter, but his face was as expressionless as ever. It made her even more nervous.

"Brother, you aren't sleeping yet?"

"Mother and Xiaohua are worried sick of a certain someone who left without saying a word. Since they looked tired, I told them I'd wait for you in their stead."

A pang of guilt hit her chest. To prepare for the party, Li Chunhua exerted so much effort, and the menu was prepared by Su Suyin, who only ordered the twins' favorite food to be served. Li Caiyi didn't help them with anything, and in the end, she disappointed them by ditching it like that.

"...I see. I'm sorry for causing trouble for everyone." Li Caiyi said as she looked down, not daring to meet her brother's piercing eyes.

"Your friends are worried about you. They kept asking where you were when they didn't see you coming out of the house, even after the party started. Make sure you apologize to everyone later for the inconvenience you caused."

He didn't hold back as usual. Li Caiyi thought she deserved this, so she nodded obediently. "I understand."

"Where did you run off to? Xiaohua said you looked panicked as you rushed out earlier."

Li Caiyi scratched her cheeks awkwardly, without knowing where she should begin. She wondered if her brother was even aware that she was going out with Dai Zhiqiang?

"What's wrong? Shouldn't you at least explain the reason so I can decide what kind of punishment I should give you?"

"What?" Li Caiyi looked up at him in confusion.

"We didn't invite many people, but some of them were Mother's friends who were pretty influential, and your action made us lose face in front of those people. As the head of the family, I have the right to punish you." Li Junjie said flatly, but the aura he exuded was overbearing.

"That makes sense…." Li Caiyi trailed off a bit before she explained what happened. He didn't react, so there was no telling whether he was simply annoyed or furious.

After she finished explaining, Li Junjie put his book onto the table before speaking, "As a punishment, you shall live here for a month. Without question."

"What? That's it?" Li Caiyi asked in surprise. She kind of expected the punishment to be more dreadful, considering it was Li Junjie who brought it up.

"Why? You want to be punished for doing house chores while you are at it?"

"...No, Brother Jie. I'll do as you say."

Li Junjie stood up once the conversation was wrapped up like he couldn't waste more time talking about this. "You must be tired, so just sleep here. I'll be returning to my room."

After he left, Li Caiyi sighed in exhaustion. Talking with her brother is always successful in robbing a few years of her life.

She looked around the house as she leaned back on the sofa's backrest. Compared to the time when she lived here, there were a lot of changes made. The atmosphere around the house was different, too, not that the oppressive Li Jirong was no longer there.

But it was still the same space where she didn't belong. The discrepancy threw her off, and it made her mood heavier.

Even if her family's attitude towards her improved, this place still didn't feel like her home. There were just too many bad memories here.

"I have to live with them again for a month. It was punishment indeed, in a way." Li Caiyi let out a peal of self-deprecating laughter before dragging her feet to her room.

She would think about how to apologize to everyone tomorrow. For now, she needed to rest.

***

"It can't be helped if that's the case. I hope your friend's father is doing okay now," Su Suyin said with concern.

The Li family sat together in the dining room to have breakfast. Among them, Su Suyin had the brightest face among them all. "But I'm so happy you will stay here for a month. This is your house, so what about you just move back here?"

Li Caiyi smiled weakly, almost helpless. "Mother, I can't do that, and you know why."

"Yes, but there's no harm in trying. Oh, try this one too. It's delicious," Su Suyin cheerfully said as she placed more and more side dishes on her plate. She was grateful for her mother's care.

It was a peaceful morning, saved for one person who ate with a dark face. Li Caiyi should have known about this, but the cold aura around Li Chunhua was biting her skin.

Her sister usually liked to cling to her, but she deliberately looked away this morning when their gaze met. Apparently, Li Chunhua was completely upset with her.

'Well, I promised to spend my birthday together with her. She also put a lot of effort into yesterday's party. No wonder she is angry.' Li Caiyi thought guiltily. The egg roll in her mouth felt bland for some reason.