Rebirth: Once Again With You

With a bouquet of flowers in her hand, Li Caiyi gently knocked on Dai Bolin's room. Then, she could hear the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Caiyi, you are here again." Dai Shenqiang exclaimed in joy.

"Of course, didn't I promise I would visit every day? Here is for Uncle." Li Caiyi gave the bouquet to him as he let her come in.

"You must be busy with your upcoming exam and your new book. There's no need for you to drop by every day. I will tell you if father finally regains his consciousness."

"It's okay. I can spare some time to check on Uncle. Besides, you must be bored having to watch him over by yourself, right?"

Dai Shenqiang shook his head in defeat, but his lips curled up in a smile. "Don't blame me if you fail your exam later."

"You are underestimating me. I may not be as smart as your brother, but I'm not pretty bad."

Dai Shenqiang felt the air become fresher whenever Li Caiyi visited. At first, Dai Zhiqiang would be around and chat with them too, but he couldn't leave his work forever. Although he didn't want to admit it, he certainly felt lonely.

Thankfully, Li Caiyi would still come and accompany him for a few hours. They didn't do much except talk, but it had become his most anticipated routine.

Dai Shenqiang knew he shouldn't have had this feeling toward his brother's girlfriend, but he couldn't lie to himself. After she came running and comforted him last time, something changed inside him.

His gaze would follow her to the slightest movement. Being close to her would make his heart skip a beat. He could even recognize her just by the sound of her footsteps now.

Dai Shenqiang knew best how much Li Caiyi and his brother loved each other, so he had no intention of letting his feelings grow more than this.

However, it would be fine if he enjoyed the time they had right now to the fullest right? After his father regained consciousness, she wouldn't come here every day anymore, so this momentary passion would die out soon. He was confused because she showered her with so much care and was the only girl he ever approved of.

"Shenqiang, you look more tired than yesterday? Did you get enough sleep?" Li Caiyi asked worriedly.

"Not really. I can't sleep well these days," He grimaced sheepishly.

"Well, there's no helping it. You must have been worried sick about Uncle to get a good sleep."

Dai Shenqiang smiled faintly as he put the flowers in the vase. "I just need some time to calm myself down. Many things happened, and I couldn't keep up with everything."

Li Caiyi felt sympathetic for him. He must be anxious because Dai Bolin still hadn't woken up, despite the surgery ending successfully. Dai Zhiqiang couldn't be with him all the time, so he was left with no one by his side to care for him. He was just a middle school kid.

"But that's enough about me. How about you, Caiyi? Have you been doing well?"

"Yeah. I mostly study for the final exam or write my new book."

"Oh, you are in the middle of preparing a new book? I'm not much of a reader, but I remember my brother praised it so much."

​ Li Caiyi giggled. "So you don't like reading, huh? That's the first time I heard about that."

"Well, I can read comic books, but a is a bit…tedious for me." He scratched his cheeks awkwardly.

"I see. That's pretty interesting, considering how much Zhi likes to read."

"Yeah. My brother used to be a nerd before he started fighting for my sake. Well, he is still a nerd even now, but at least he doesn't bury his nose in books like he previously did anymore."

"Haha, I see. Tell me more about your childhood."

Dai Shenqiang loved this moment. Her attentiveness blew his tiredness away. Perhaps she was just a good listener, or he might feel too comfortable with her. With her, he could talk about anything without restraint.

When he felt tired to stay awake, soft laughter from her would be enough to energize him again. He felt a strange sense of accomplishment when he managed to make her smile, so he kept doing it more and more.

Sometimes he was afraid that he had been too obvious with his feelings. Thankfully, Li Caiyi was pretty dense when it came to herself, but his brother wouldn't be fooled that easily.

It wasn't a sin to harbor feelings for someone, but he was scared Dai Zhiqiang would notice it, then resented him for it.

"Oh yeah. How is your training with Mrs. Mei? Is everything alright?"

"Brother Shao made sure the training won't hinder me from caring for Father, and Mrs. Mei has been treating me very well. Thanks to her advice and guidance, I feel like my skill has improved since last time," he replied with sparkly eyes.

"You look like you are having fun."

"I do. It was a miracle-like chance, and I have no intention of wasting it." Dai Shenqiang's eyes filled with determination as he gazed at her, "I'm getting closer to fulfill my dream, and this chance came to me thanks to you, Caiyi."

"Haha, I didn't do anything. It was all thanks to Jingfei's good eyes for talent and your innate ability."

"We had a similar conversation before, but I'll repeat it as much as I need. I will never forget everything you have done for us, Caiyi. Sometimes I thought you were an angel from heaven, sent to save my family. When my father was still in a surgery chamber, I had this ominous feeling that he probably wouldn't make it."

The atmosphere turned gloomy almost instantly. "As if it wasn't bad enough, that woman just has to appear and stir trouble. Even my brother can't do anything to her. I was at my wit's end, and in desperation, I thought of you. Please don't laugh at me, but I thought everything would be alright if I called our guardian angel to help us."

"Shenqiang…" Li Caiyi was at a loss for words. It was embarrassing and flattering at the same time to be called an angel.

"I already heard from my brother how you defended us and chased that woman away. Then the surgery also ended well. You are like a bag of luck." Dai Shenqiang laughed, as even he found his words pretty silly. "Sorry for spouting nonsense. Just forget what I said just now."

"No, it's okay. I'm happy you think of me that way," Li Caiyi smiled brightly, almost blinding him.

A ripple formed inside his chest. She was so beautiful she took his breath away. Dai Shenqiang was overwhelmed with emotions when he heard a faint groan.

Both of them jerked their heads simultaneously toward the unconscious Dai Bolin.

"Father?!"

"Uncle!"

Silence fell as they watched his eyes twitch before slowly opening. Dai Shenqiang immediately wrapped his arms around his father. His shoulders shook as he cried in relief and joy.

Standing on the side, Li Caiyi also couldn't contain her happiness and burst into tears. It was so touching and heartwarming. She quickly took out her phone to inform Dai Zhiqiang about this happy news.

Glancing at the father-son duo again, Li Caiyi realized how nice it was to have your family by your side. She sincerely felt happy for them.

Up until yesterday, everything was just too bleak. Li Caiyi had to focus on her studies to distract herself. But good things always happen for those who persevere, and she began to feel optimistic about the future.