Rebirth: Once Again With You

On the next day, Li Caiyi went to the promised place as soon as the school finished. However, unlike the last time, Li Caiyi didn't attempt to disguise herself anymore and went there in her uniform. There was nothing to hide now that Detective Tang already knew who she was.

They promised to meet at the same restaurant as last time, and Detective Tang tends to choose the same spot every time, so it didn't take long for Li Caiyi to spot him.

"I'm sorry for making you wait," Li Caiyi greeted him once she had arrived in front of him. Detective Tang raised his face and made a hum of acknowledgment once he saw her.

"Ooh, school uniform! That's nice! It has been a while since I talked to a high-school girl. I think you look much better with a get-up like this. Very cute!"

Li Caiyi sat down across from him. "I have always been a high-schooler since the first time we met. What difference could it make?"

"Of course it's different! Nothing can beat a school uniform in terms of costume play. Nurse and maid are too overrated!" Detective Tang grinned while making a thumbs up.

"I didn't come here to hear you talking about your fetishes," Li Caiyi said with a disgusted look, which generated laughter from the older man.

"Haha, ouch. Have you always acted this cold to a man, young lady?"

"For me, you are not a man but an uncle. What you said was borderline sexual harassment, and I can report you anytime if I want."

Detective Tang gave a resigned sigh as he raised both of his hands. "Alright, you got me with that. Sorry. Now, let's drop the chit-chat and go straight to the business, yeah?"

Li Caiyi straightened her back, expecting him to continue.

"Young lady, I have to confess something to you first. Please let me say in advance that I had no intention of tricking you when I first started this."

Li Caiyi frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Actually, there are other reasons I accepted this task from you besides money."

"What is your purpose?"

"I'm currently working on a case with a deep connection to your father, or at least I assumed so."

Li Caiyi was frozen in her place upon hearing that. She hadn't listened to the rest of it, but she had a hunch that Detective Tang probably referred to the newest information she received from Gu Xue. That would mean that Detective Tang had deliberately approached her when she was looking for a private investigator from the beginning.

"How did you know? It was true that I didn't choose you specifically to take my case. Still, you couldn't possibly guess that I would post a request to investigate my father's affair with no lead."

"Ah, please don't misunderstand, young lady. I said I had an ulterior motive when I accepted this case, but it wasn't like I was specifically waiting or expecting someone from your family to file a request. It really was just a coincidence at first."

"Really?" Li Caiyi squinted her eyes suspiciously.

"We have been working together for so long, yet you have so little trust in me." Detective Tang shook his head helplessly. "Well, with a father like that, I guess it's not surprising if you are vigilant to an adult man."

Li Caiyi was tempted to retort because her distrust mainly came from his shady behavior and manner of speech. However, she knew that wasn't important right now.

"Fine, let's say it was just a coincidence at first. You still haven't told me what the case you are currently investigating is and how it has anything to do with my father."

"Hmm, this probably will take some time to explain. Let me start from the beginning."

"Please."

"This started back when I was still a public investigator." Detective Tang chuckled. "What's with that shocked look on your face?"

Li Caiyi quickly loosened her face muscle. "No, I was just a bit surprised. I wouldn't have thought that you used to work as a public investigator before. I can't imagine you patrolling around or investigating a case with a gun at your disposal. Why are you working as a private investigator now?"

"I was forced to stop when I stumbled upon a case." Detective Tang folded his hand on top of the table. "Which I can't disclose in detail since this is top secret information. But I can tell you it involves a certain organization or group researching a certain type of medicine."

'I knew it,' Li Caiyi thought inwardly.

It turned out there was no need for her to fret whether or not she should tell him since he actually already knew from the beginning.

"Young lady, are you familiar with Savant Syndrome terms before?"

Li Caiyi thought of it for a bit before answering. "Yes, I have heard about it before. If I'm not mistaken, it was a rare condition where a person with mental disabilities displayed extraordinary abilities. But what of it?"

"That's correct. We normally associate Savant Syndrome with people who were born with a handicap, but there is actually an occurrence where a normal person with no mental disabilities could gain such a condition."

"How so?"

"When a non-disabled person suffered from a severe traumatic brain injury or illness, it was possible for that person to awaken the so-called extraordinary skills."

The word 'severe traumatic brain injury and illness' rang loudly in Li Caiyi's mind as she slowly recalled the content of Li Chunhua's medical report. In the first place, that document didn't explain in detail, so when she heard Detective Tang's explanation, she didn't like where this explanation was going.

"Don't tell me, the purpose of the medicine they were researching is…."

Detective Tang solemnly nodded. "Yeah, to give birth to such an occurrence, by using chemical formulas to give a shock to the consumer's brain. To put it simply, they were trying to create a medicine that can force a miracle to happen and ultimately create man-made geniuses."

Li Caiyi subconsciously held her breath when the severity of the situation was carefully laid out in front of her.