Rebirth: Once Again With You

Li Caiyi smiled brightly at Dai Zhiqiang, who was looking away in a daze, "I'm sorry, did I make you wait for too long?"

"No, you didn't. I have just arrived myself." Dai Zhiqiang shifted his gaze and smiled back at her.

Li Caiyi followed his previous line of sight and found out he was looking at the banner hung on the wall. "Why are you looking at that?"

"Nothing." Dai Zhiqiang flashed a restrained smile. He couldn't possibly tell her that he felt a sense of crisis whenever he saw the banner.

Even if Li Caiyi didn't say anything, he knew her heart was moved when he saw her standing while staring at the banner for a long time this morning. The sight was burned into his mind, and he felt a sense of crisis whenever he recalled it.

It reminded him repeatedly how Li Caiyi and Meng Renshu had a history between them. And that Li Caiyi used to like that person so much.

Dai Zhiqiang believed her feelings toward him were genuine. He could clearly feel it in the way she looked at him. However, he always felt threatened when he saw her making a forlorn expression as she thought about Meng Renshu as if she was reminiscing a bittersweet memory.

He wanted her to think about him and him alone. He couldn't bear the thought of her thinking about another guy but him.

It was a very petty and selfish wish, so he dared not to tell her about this.

He wished she would only look at him in a good light.

"Shall we go now?" Dai Zhiqiang was about to hold her hand out of reflex. However, he remembered they were still in the school ground, so his hand halted midair before retracting it.

Thankfully, Li Caiyi didn't seem to notice it. She nodded her head with a beaming smile on her lips. "Yes! I have been looking forward to this."

"Where are the two of you going? It seems like it's going to be very fun. Can I join you too?"

Li Caiyi twisted her body as soon as she heard that familiar voice. Behind them, Meng Renshu was smiling with his hand stuffed in his pocket.

They didn't know since when he had been standing there, overhearing their conversation, but his complexion didn't look well.

"Brother Renshu? Why do you want to know?"

"I can't even ask now?" Meng Renshu walked over with a meaningful smile. "Well, it doesn't matter. We can separate here and 'coincidentally' meet at the same place."

"Why do you want to follow us? Stop doing that! Are you a stalker?"

"That's rude. I can show up anywhere under this sky since this world doesn't belong to you," Meng Renshu retaliated jokingly.

"Do it somewhere else!"

Dai Zhiqiang didn't look pleased with all looking at their interaction. Although they looked like they were bickering, something about it made him inexplicably irritated.

It felt like they shared something more profound than he could ever share with Li Caiyi, and he felt a sense of crisis once again.

He reached out to clasp Li Caiyi's hand before saying, "I'm sorry, Senior Meng. But we have been waiting for today to come, so it was kind of hard to squeeze one more person."

Li Caiyi blinked her eyes in astonishment as she looked up at Dai Zhiqiang. A slight blush escaped at his daringness.

Meanwhile, Meng Renshu's eyebrows twitched slightly as he looked down at their intertwined hands. His eyes narrowed down, looking at Li Caiyi's bashful expression.

A fire burning inside his gut. His face blackened, but his smile grew even wider. He didn't expect Dai Zhiqiang to be so bold, claiming his ownership of her right in front of his nose.

No matter how one looked at it, this was clearly a declaration of war.

"You guys look extremely close. This makes me curious. Are you guys dating or something?"

Meng Renshu's question silenced Li Caiyi because she also wondered about this early this morning. She secretly glanced at Dai Zhiqiang and thought he would feel uncomfortable, so she slowly pulled her hand out of his.

Only to have him grab hold of her tighter. "That's right. We are dating right now."

Not only Meng Renshu but Li Caiyi was also shocked when she heard that. To be fair, with everything they had gone through, it would be weird if they weren't dating at this point.

Nevertheless, this might be Dai Zhiqiang's first time admitting this fact aloud. Li Caiyi felt her heart soar to the highest level of heaven with this confirmation.

Meng Renshu only stood there, stunned to silence by sight in front of him. A wave of displeasure crawled under his skin at Dai Zhiqiang's calm and firm gaze directed at him. It felt like he was deliberately provoking him.

Li Caiyi's apparent joy also didn't help him. She looked at the boy beside him as if she was in a trance, too engrossed in her own world to even notice him.

Meng Renshu gritted his teeth even more, knowing that the girl had once again slipped out from his grasp.

Two of the most popular boys in the school fighting over a girl must be an exciting spectacle you didn't come across every day. So it didn't take long before their interaction garnered attention from the other students.

Everyone nailed their gazes on them, looking ready to eat melon from the side.

Li Caiyi noticed the attention and squirmed in her place uncomfortably. Dai Zhiqiang didn't look away from Meng Renshu even for a second, but he could sense her distress.

"I'm sure you understand what I mean now, Senior Meng."

"Ah? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I really don't understand. What are you implying by saying that? Why don't you be direct and say it for everyone to hear?" Meng Renshu said lightly, but his eyes bore a deep hostility towards the underclassman.

"I want you to stop pestering her. There is currently a bad rumor circulating, and no one will believe it even if she denies it. However, it will be different if you are the one who denies it. This is a great opportunity, so why don't you clear up the misunderstanding here for everyone to hear?"

Li Caiyi stared at Dai Zhiqiang with a worshiping gaze. She felt like he really was worthy of his genius title. With just a few sentences, he managed to corner that sly Meng Renshu.

Her appreciation and affection towards her boyfriend kept multiplying, knowing he did this to protect her.