Rebirth: Once Again With You

Dai Zhiqiang had no reason to stay anymore, so he stood up and was about to leave when his eyes caught a glimpse of something on the ground.

"What is this? A keychain?" Dai Zhiqiang mumbled as he crouched down and picked up the wood keychain from the ground.

He inspected the thing closely and stopped when he found a carving on it. It was the first letter of her and Meng Renshu's name, along with a date.

His expression hardened, recalling how sad and dejected Li Caiyi was just now. Dai Zhiqiang didn't know what Meng Renshu was thinking by leading her on when he clearly already had a lover, but one thing was for sure, he hated that guy.

Looking at this keychain only angered him further. It was proof that Li Caiyi still cherished and treasured this 'memory' she made with him even after years had passed.

Dai Zhiqiang was overcame with anger and jealousy. Rather than returning this to her, he just wanted to bury this thing so she would never see it again. He didn't have to be directly involved to know that the current relationship between Li Caiyi, Meng Renshu, and Li Chunhua was rather messy.

Stealing her precious things was childish, but he couldn't help it.

Meng Renshu was foolish enough not to notice Li Caiyi's feelings toward him. However, that silly woman who still held on to painful unrequited feelings was also a problem.

Dai Zhiqiang clenched the keychain hard, wanting to crush it if he could, but in the end, he slipped the keychain into his pocket and left without turning back.

.

***

Dai Zhiqiang opened his eyes to find an unfamiliar ceiling. It only took him a second before he remembered the series of events that happened a few hours ago.

The weight he felt on his arm only further convinced him. Everything that just happened was real.

He slowly turned to the side and found Li Caiyi's sleeping face in front of him. Her expression was peaceful, and her lips curved up slightly like she had a lovely dream.

Dai Zhiqiang slowly removed his numb arms from under her head and replaced them with pillow. Then, he sat up and stared at Li Caiyi's figure again.

Her bare shoulder peeked from under the blanket. It tempted him to pull the blanket further down so he could see more of her naked body. But considering how 'strenuous' their exercise was before, he decided not to disturb her for now.

She stirred in her sleep, making some of her hair cover her face. Dai Zhiqiang reached out to tuck some of them behind her ears.

For some reason, he felt weirdly fulfilled as he did that. It was like he had been waiting all this time to do that. He didn't understand why he would feel that way, though.

Perhaps because of his dream, he felt disoriented by the sight in front of him. The Li Caiyi he saw in his dream was a slightly older version than the one sleeping beside him right now, yet both of them couldn't be more different.

The Li Caiyi in his dream didn't have him in her world, but the real Li Caiyi had him in her heart.

His dream felt so real it made him anxious somewhat. Dai Zhiqiang couldn't shake off the strange feeling he had, so he stood up to take a shower. His body felt sticky, and a cold shower would calm his mind.

Dai Zhiqiang invited himself and used Li Caiyi's shampoo and soap to wash himself clean. The pleasant smell he kept smelling from her mostly came from these products, but it still lacked that original smell of Li Caiyi he liked so much.

His girlfriend was still fast asleep by the time he finished his shower.

Dai Zhiqiang was worried if he had been too rough with her. He tried to be as gentle as possible, but a woman's first time would always hurt. Or so what he heard from his colleagues in Ye Wang.

He gently sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her cheek, and a warm feeling gushed out of his chest. His heart swelled with pride and happiness for finally having this woman completely, both in heart and body.

Then, his gaze fell on the necklace around her neck. Dai Zhiqiang automatically recalled the view of her sweaty and flushed body, wearing nothing but that necklace.

He shook his head to chase away the perverted thoughts he had in mind. After taking a cold shower, he finally could calm down. Thinking about those things would only make him feel hot and bothered again.

Dai Zhiqiang reached out to touch the little bird pendant on her necklace, and a cold glint flashed across his eyes for a moment.

He picked up his phone from the floor and found many missed calls and texts from Lin Xiang.

He wasn't lying when he said he didn't have much time. Dai Zhiqiang wasn't supposed to stay over at her place, but how could he deny her request when she tempted him like a little seductress?

He closed down the notification without checking it. Instead, he tapped on a certain app.

The phone screen showed the city map immediately, with a red dot in the middle. If he zoomed the screen, he would know the location of the red dot right now. Currently, the dot's location was on the place where he stood.

"It's still working properly. I guess it really was just a bad network the other day. False alarm." Dai Zhiqiang muttered.

Now that he had confirmed his suspicion, he felt lighter. He glanced at the sleeping girl beside him and played with her hair again.

"I feel like I'm getting crazier the more I fall for you. I wonder what kind of secret are you hiding from me?"

Dai Zhiqiang's gaze turned colder as he continued, "Since you are mine now, I will monitor you more closely. I don't want to lose you for the second time. You'll understand me, right, Yi Yi?"

Li Caiyi had no idea what had just happened and slept peacefully. Dai Zhiqiang left a note and kissed the top of her head before heading out of the room.