Rebirth: Once Again With You

It was a shame Grandpa Zhou was currently not in the shop, but Li Caiyi left her greetings through Zhou Ya. They chatted a bit before Li Caiyi left with Dai Zhiqiang.

"Is she your friend?" Dai Zhiqiang asked.

"Yeah. Zhou Ya is my classmate and good friend."

"I heard you guys mentioned Shenqiang earlier. What are you guys talking about?"

Oops, so he heard about that. He said nothing throughout their conversation, so Li Caiyi thought he was not paying attention.

There was no need to hide it from him, so Li Caiyi told him about how she had been searching for Shen Qiang for a while. By the time she finished explaining, Dai Zhiqiang was staring at her in confusion.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Let me ask this just in case, but what did my brother help you with?"

Li Caiyi could not possibly tell him that Dai Shenqiang jumped from a tall building with her to commit double suicide.

"That's a girl's secret! You can ask anything but that!"

Dai Zhiqiang's frown deepened, but since Li Caiyi did not want to talk, he did not pursue the matter anymore.

An idea popped out inside his mind, but he was unsure whether he should break it to her or not.

***

Dai Shenqiang was happy when his brother and Li Caiyi came simultaneously. They even bought him his favorite food.

"The doctor said my condition is stable now, so I can get discharged tomorrow if I want," he said.

"Are you sure? I think you should stay here longer." Dai Zhiqiang's words were laced with concern.

"I'm fine, big brother. The doctor said they found no abnormalities in me, and my right hand would get better after a month. I don't want to stay here anymore. It's so boring here, so I don't want to stay here any longer."

Dai Zhiqiang was still reluctant, but under his brother's pleading gaze, he gave in. "Fine."

The younger Dai made a victory pose with his left hand. He looked like a child like that, and a tender smile crept up on Li Caiyi's lips.

Dai Zhiqiang did not miss that, and there was a dull ache in his heart. He ignored that feeling and focused on something else instead.

"Have the two of you met each other before the incident?" He asked, more toward his little brother.

Dai Shenqiang and Li Caiyi exchanged glances before letting out a meaningful smile. "Something like that."

They looked at each other like two people who had a secret between them, something they would not share with other people. An outsider like Dai Zhiqiang had no right to ask.

"I see," Dai Zhiqiang muttered faintly.

"More importantly, didn't you say you were going to show me your drawing? I have been looking forward to your next visit because of that. Show me!" Dai Shenqiang smirked playfully at Li Caiyi.

"When did I say I'm going to show it to you?!"

"Come on, don't be stingy. I'm bored to death here, so I need some kind of entertainment here."

"So you take my drawing as a form of entertainment? How rude."

Dai Zhiqiang watched how they bickered against each other. It did not look like an argument but more like friendly teasing. He did not know what to think about that, so he nailed his gaze elsewhere, so he did not have to see them.

Li Caiyi talked about a lot of things with Dai Shenqiang that day. She was happy she got to know the side of him she had never known before. It seemed that he was a lot more talkative during his youth; he somehow looked cuter like that.

On the contrary, Dai Zhiqiang did not say much. He would talk if someone asked him, but he kept his mouth shut most of the time. Li Caiyi wondered if Dai Shenqiang would become like that as well when he grew up a bit.

"Oh yeah. How old are you, Shenqiang?"

"I'm 16 this year."

"So you are one year younger than me," Li Caiyi smiled.

"Why? Is that a problem for you?" His brows wriggled in a teasing manner.

Li Caiyi harrumphed. Not only was he more talkative, but he was more mischievous and flirty as well! Li Caiyi thought Dai Shenqiang was cute, but still, she liked the mature version of him more. It might be because it appealed to her mature mentality better.

Speaking of maturity….

Li Caiyi could not help but sneak a glance at Dai Zhiqiang, who was currently reading a book in peace.

If we were talking about maturity only, Dai Zhiqiang had a more similar personality to Shen Qiang. The way he took care of those around him and only spoke when needed was the same as Shen Qiang.

Her Shen Qiang's personality was practically like the brother's personality molded into one, making Li Caiyi feel a sense of closeness with them.

However, personality could change as time passed. Dai Shenqiang might look like that now, but he might become calmer if he spent more time with the stoic and responsible Dai Zhiqiang.

Li Caiyi was also genuinely happy that Dai Shenqiang would get discharged soon. That meant she could spend more time with him after this. She hoped she could be with him for a long time.

****

Li Caiyi did not stay for long today because she had another plan today.

Before leaving the hospital, she went to the bathroom and entered one of the cubicles. She slowly took off her uniform and changed into clothes she had prepared beforehand.

Li Caiyi wore the floral dress in her hand. She also changed her shoes into a pair of feminine white heels.

After changing her clothes, she went out of the cubicle and walked over to the sink. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, making up her mind for the last time. Then, she took off her glasses and hair tie. Her long hair fell on her back like a waterfall.

Using a bit of makeup art she learned from her past life, she applied mature-style makeup to her face. She deliberately made her makeup thick, so she would not be easily recognized.

When she finished, Li Caiyi smiled at her reflection. Her appearance had changed from a plain student into a mature and wealthy woman in her twenties.

It was time to meet the private investigator.