Rebirth: Once Again With You

"Tell me, Caiyi. How far will you allow me to go this time?"

Li Caiyi's every sense only focused on his voice and the sound of their heartbeat mixing into one rhythm. His body felt feverish, and so was Li Caiyi's as he pressed her even further to the bookcase, trapping her petite frame in between.

The bookcase felt cold, while every place where their bodies touched each other was burning. The distinct sensation sent her head spinning.

"What are you doing now?" Li Caiyi whispered so people would notice them in this ambiguous posture. She was thankful that they were currently standing in the room's corner, and thus there were fewer people around them.

"This is your punishment for hiding things from me." Dai Zhiqiang said evilly.

"W-what did I hide?"

"The gift Senior Meng gave to you. Why didn't you tell me about it? We are together during lunch break, so there should be plenty of time to tell me about it then. That banner too. I waited for you to tell me yourself, but you seem eager to pretend until the end."

"Zhiqiang, I don't understand what you are trying to say—ah!" Li Caiyi's breath hitched, and she unintentionally let out a low moan when she felt his hot lips on her nape.

She quickly covered her mouth with her hand and wanted to push him away, but her strength disappeared somewhere along with her mind.

Li Caiyi felt weak, and it already took all her energy to keep standing.

"Since I'm a very selfish person, I will take it upon myself to punish you like this. You won't blame me for this, right? Don't let out a sound or struggle. You don't want anyone to see us like this."

"You are… evil…." Li Caiyi said hoarsely while looking back. Her eyes were moist, and her cheeks flushed with a beautiful shade of red. It was delicate and charming, like a flower blooming.

Dai Zhiqiang gulped at how beautiful she looked right now. Did she even realize how alluring she was when she wore that expression? It was almost like she was inviting him to do a more wicked thing to her.

What started as a mere prank to distract her from the topic of his dream quickly escalated into something else. And his mental fortitude wasn't strong enough to resist the temptation.

Dai Zhiqiang wrapped his hand tighter around her waist and pressed more kisses to her exposed nape. He did it carefully to not cause obnoxious noise that might attract anyone's attention, but Li Caiyi's whimper and soft moan rendered his effort useless.

"Letting out a noise like that, do you want to get caught so badly?" Dai Zhiqiang laughed lowly.

"That's because of you…."

"Why? Did it feel good when I did this to you?"

Li Caiyi felt her head and heart would explode soon. Dai Zhiqiang in his youth, was as sly as his older version. However, he lacked that restraint he had when she first met him.

The current him was still young, so he was more unrestrained and adventurous in his advance.

Li Caiyi was so embarrassed she could die, but she strangely didn't hate it either. She liked the mature version of him, but she also liked his wild side very much. He defeated her line of defense, and she was at his mercy instantly.

"Can I take your silence as an affirmation? So it's okay if I do more than this, right?"

"No, you can't." Li Caiyi tried to pry his arm from her body, but her trembling hand lacked the strength and felt like a kitten scratch instead.

"Do you know that the more you try to resist like that, the crazier you make me?"

Li Caiyi let go of his arm out of reflex. Dai Zhiqiang smirked before caressing her body more. From her side to the front. One hand hiked upward, and the other downward.

Li Caiyi: "!!"

Now she understood why old people kept saying that the younger generation was shameless. This situation was precisely a good example of that. Of course, Li Caiyi was a part of that older generation.

She couldn't take it anymore, so she raised her leg high, planning to stomp on his leg hard. Before she could finish it, Dai Zhiqiang quickly released her and took a few steps away from her. If she didn't support her body with the bookcase, she probably would have slumped to the ground right now.

Li Caiyi could hear him exhaling a long sigh behind her, followed by a mutter, "That was dangerous…."

His tone had a hint of relief and disappointment at the same time. Li Caiyi looked back as soon as she stabilized her footing and glared at him.

"You become more daring as days pass by." she hissed with a lingering blush on her face.

"That was your punishment. From now on, don't hide anything from me. You don't need to act so considerately towards me. I believe your words more than anyone else's, so just come clean to me next time. I feel bad if I have to hear it from another person."

Dai Zhiqiang smiled meaningfully. "And as far as I see it, you don't seem to mind it that much."

Li Caiyi was annoyed because she couldn't refute his last statement. Her heartbeat, which had returned to its neutral tempo, slowly picked up its pace again.

"D-don't do that anymore. My heart can't take it if you keep doing that." Instead of getting angry, Li Caiyi opted for a softer approach; to plead.

Dai Zhiqiang laughed, looking at her reddened face. She puffed her cheek, so her face resembled a tomato in his eyes.

"Don't worry. As much as I'm curious about how you will react if I continue, I still know our limit. I'm not that much of a bully."

"Lies. I don't believe you."

"Hm? Shall I show you my serious side so you can see how much I have held back just now, then?"

Li Caiyi took a step back at his threat, and her back immediately pressed against the bookcase behind her. She laughed dryly, trying not to provoke him any further.

"Haha, I was just kidding. Of course, I believe you are not that kind of person."

Dai Zhiqiang's smile deepened as she casually strolled over to her. The more steps he took, the more panicked she became.

"W-what are you trying to do?" Li Caiyi gulped nervously.

Dai Zhiqiang paid no heed to her question and kept approaching her. Her heart drummed uncontrollably again. When he finally stood in front of her and raised his hand, she squeezed her eyes tightly.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

Li Caiyi counted inwardly, but nothing happened. She slowly opened her eyes, only to find Dai Zhiqiang holding the book she had dropped earlier in his hand. His smile curved upward in a smug smile as he waved the book around.

He mouthed something that she recognized as S-T-U-P-I-D before he flicked her forehead lightly.

"I already have what I came to find in my hand, so I'll go purchase this now."

Just like that, the demon left her in a state of confusion. Li Caiyi frowned in annoyance as she looked at his back incredulously.

She was annoyed with herself for expecting something and felt disappointed when nothing happened in the end. It gave her this unresolved feeling, and she didn't like it.

Moreover, she couldn't tell if her heart raced because she was angry or embarrassed.

Li Caiyi swore that Dai Zhiqiang's influence was very dangerous for her heart health.