Rebirth: Once Again With You

All this time, Li Caiyi always thought how nice it would have been if Dai Zhiqiang was to remember his previous life. There were many things she wanted to ask him about. Most importantly, she tried to ascertain whether he was indeed the Shen Qiang she had been searching for.

Li Caiyi found her heart beating furiously in the face of such a possibility. Many questions popped into her head, along with doubt and anxiety she thought she had let go.

Does this mean Dai Zhiqiang really was Shen Qiang? Would she finally be able to get an answer out of him?

The reason for their fate-like meeting. The reason that drove him to thread in the darkest path he could find. And why he wanted to end his life.

Li Caiyi gulped hard, steeling her resolve. No matter what truth she heard from him, her feelings for him would never change. Shen Qiang was the man she loved. Although that was the original reason she became attracted to Dai Zhiqiang, she came to sincerely love him, despite all reasons.

At least, that was what she thought, but now that resolve was shaken. She couldn't decide whether she wanted to hear it or not.

"Yi Yi, what's wrong?" Dai Zhiqiang asked in concern before touching her forehead with his palm. "Your face is pale. Do you feel unwell?"

"Ah," Li Caiyi exclaimed, snapping from her daydream. "I'm not sick or unwell. I'm just…curious. What do you mean when you say you have a dream?"

She finally asked him! Filled with fear and anticipation simultaneously, she looked up at him, waiting for his answer.

"Hmm, I'm not sure, either. I can't remember it well, but I always have this unpleasant feeling whenever I see you and Meng Renshu together," Dai Zhiqiang said with a brooding expression. "I didn't feel this bad before, but it gradually worsened. My anxiety got the best of me the other day, and I lashed out at you. I'm sorry."

Li Caiyi shook her head. "No, that's okay. But what kind of dream did you have? Did you start feeling like that after having those dreams?"

Dai Zhiqiang's eyes narrowed down in the mixture of confusion and suspicion. She could feel her skin prickling under his intense gaze, but she didn't want to back away. One step forward or none at all, she chose the former!

"Zhi, please tell me more about your dream."

"Although I don't really understand why you are so curious about it, as I said, I can't remember the details of my dream. I'm not sure if this fuzzy feeling of mine was started by those dreams or not."

Li Caiyi's shoulder slumped in disappointment. That was anticlimactic and vague. She expected a more concrete answer.

"But I do remember something…strange…."

Li Caiyi perked up again, hearing his following words. "Strange? How so?"

Dai Zhiqiang had a complicated expression on his face like he had mixed feelings and was unsure how to continue his explanation.

"In one of my dreams, I remember standing on top of some old building. I don't know why and how I ended up there, but it felt like I was waiting for someone. Although it's strange because the weather is too stormy for me to wait for someone outside. I could only assume I must have been waiting for someone important."

Over the window, the leaves had begun to fall. The first time she returned to the past, it was still in spring when flowers were blooming beautifully. Upon waking, she swore she would find Shen Qiang and start her new happy life with him.

Li Caiyi had given up once when she realized she had fallen for Dai Zhiqiang too deeply for her to return. She thought she would never find Shen Qiang, no matter how hard she tried.

But it turned out she wasn't mistaken at all. All his words, gestures, and love for her. Everything felt familiar to her for a reason.

Dai Zhiqiang really was her Shen Qiang. The only person who stood by her side when the whole world was against her.

The last leaf from the tree outside the window fell down. At the same time, droplets of tears also fell from her eyes, staining her pants.

Relief, joy, and bittersweet feelings overwhelmed her. Deep inside her heart, she couldn't stop saying thank you to heaven for allowing her to meet him again. It was almost like a miracle, like how he appeared out of nowhere to save her.

"Yi Yi, what's wrong?!" Dai Zhiqiang panicked when he saw her crying.

It wasn't his first time seeing her cry, but this one, by far, was the strongest reaction she ever showed him. She didn't answer his questions and only sat there crying for a long time, with a child-like wail, causing heartache for whoever heard it.

"Please don't cry. I don't know what to do whenever you cry…." Dai Zhiqiang whispered almost inaudibly before pulling her gently into his embrace. He hugged her with care as if she was the most fragile and precious thing in the world.

Li Caiyi cried harder because she remembered Shen Qiang used to hold her the same way. After all this time, she felt like her missing memories slowly resurfaced.

Shen Qiang smelled like mint.

Shen Qiang preferred simple style and monochrome colors.

Shen Qiang was a frequent visitor to Zhou Ya's noodle shop.

They once had a date in the amusement park and bought each other things too.

The night she surrendered herself to him was the first time someone looked at her properly and called her name so lovingly.

Shen Qiang said she was the only one he needed, and that was the moment when she fell hopelessly in love with him.

The same Shen Qiang was now hugging her. She could feel his warmth, smell his scent, and see his eyes again. It was a pair of black eyes holding as many mysteries as the stars in the night sky. Yet they were always watching over her silently, like protecting her.

How could she forget those things? These are all the good things that made her a beloved person.

She thought she had lost him forever, but they found each other again in the end. Could she take this as a sign from heaven that she was allowed to finally live happily with him?

"Ugh…Sob…Aahh…"

Li Caiyi's uncontrollable wailing began to scare him. Even when they were in life-threatening danger, she had never cried like this before. However, just by the mention of his dreams, she looked like the world had collapsed on her.

He didn't know anything about her, and as much as it frustrated him, he wanted to be the one to wipe her tears.

Silently holding her like this made him forget about the passage of time. He almost could picture himself holding the wailing her like this long ago.

It was a curious feeling when he remembered something he didn't recognize. As if he was watching someone else's memories.

In that memory, the night was cold, and dark clouds hid the stars. Surrounded by soft light from lanterns, a weeping woman was in his arms. Her small body shook greatly as her tears dampened his shirt, but he didn't mind.

Suddenly, Dai Zhiqiang felt his head sting, and as soon as it happened, the image in his mind became blurry again, as if veiled behind the mist of his mind. He wondered what was that familiar yet unfamiliar sensation just now?

They held each other like that, with only Li Caiyi's cries filling in the silence. Both had no idea how much time had passed, but by the time she finally calmed down, her eyes were swollen red, and her face full of traces of tears.

Dai Zhiqiang smiled fondly at her before using his thumb to wipe the remaining tears from her face. "Yi Yi, are you okay?"

Her chest tightened as she looked up at him. She almost broke down in tears again, but she held it back. With a weak smile, she answered in a hoarse voice, "Zhi, I love you so much."

Dai Zhiqiang was taken aback for a moment, as he didn't expect her to answer his question by love confession. Nevertheless, it still succeeded in making his heart soar.

"Me too. I love you so much."

"I should have trusted myself more. No, I felt this would be the case, but I never knew I would be this happy." Li Caiyi reached out to cup his cheeks with both of her hands. Her wet eyes sparkled beautifully under the afternoon light. "In this life, too, please never let me go. Ever."

Dai Zhiqiang was hypnotized by her brilliant eyes and smiles. All kinds of thoughts left his mind, leaving only his primitive desire to claim the girl in front of her.

Their faces attracted to each other like a magnet, and the soft sensation of her lips on his felt so exhilarating it sent shivers down his spine.

Meanwhile, Li Caiyi was also drunk in the blissful feeling of finally reuniting with her love. She deepened the kiss and pulled him closer to her. He gladly answered her in advance and reacted by also pushing her down the sofa.

They had forgotten their objectives entirely and were drowning in love and lust. Each never pulled away from the other as they impatiently cast aside any layer that separated them from each other.

For some time, there were only ambiguous moans and pants filling in the silence in the house.

The heat within the room made her light-headed and dizzy, but she never wanted to be awakened by it. Every place he touched sent her body ablaze, and it melted her into a puddle of water, free for him to shape to his heart's content.

Her body buckled under the stimulation. Unable to stop herself, she cried out, "Zhi, I can't hold it anymore!"

"Don't be afraid. I'm here. Let's go together?"

With a grunt from him and a scream from her, they ascended together in a heavenly pleasure.

Their hearts and bodies molded together as the soft dusk light shone upon them, casting a shadow of one entity on the wall.