Rebirth: Once Again With You

The night wind was pretty chilly tonight. Dai Zhiqiang shivered while tightening his jacket. He hoped she remembered to dress warmly before coming here.

Although it had passed two hours since the time he wrote on the paper, Dai Zhiqiang was still patiently waiting in the park near the school.

Li Caiyi probably got delayed by some other thing and couldn't come immediately. He should have also written down his phone number so she could communicate with him. Alas, it was too late to regret.

The season changed rapidly. Dai Zhiqiang couldn't believe it was almost two years since he first met her.

Even now, if he closed his eyes, he could still vividly recall Li Caiyi's warm smile as he gave him a hand warmer. As if it was etched deeply in his mind.

Dai Zhiqiang wanted to see her as soon as possible.

He waited for another hour. Then another hour again.

Only when the time finally reached 5 hours after their appointment time did Dai Zhiqiang have no choice but to accept the truth.

Li Caiyi wouldn't come.

Did she not get his message? Or she received it but decide not to come?

Dai Zhiqiang called her here on such short notice, and it was understandable if she was confused and didn't want to come. Although he wrote down his name on the paper, they almost never talked again after their first meeting.

He doubted she would remember their small word exchange in the library whenever she borrowed some books. There was no reason for her to pay attention to a mere librarian like him.

"I guess this really is a bad idea after all." Dai Zhiqiang chuckled before staring at the starless sky above. It was dark and fathomless, more or less similar to his current state of mind.

There was no point staying in the park any longer, but Dai Zhiqiang didn't want to get up just yet. A part of his heart kept telling him he should wait a bit longer. Ten minutes, no, five minutes more.

Of course, no one came even after he waited for another half an hour. His fingers were already stiff and cold after staying out for so long. The time was up.

With a heavy heart, he rose from his seat and walked past the quiet and empty street alone.

Dai Zhiqiang planned to return home. However, his legs brought him to the Li family's house before he realized it.

Being in the same class as Li Chunhua, it wasn't hard for him to find their address, and the information was safely kept in his brain. He just didn't expect he would ever come here in this way.

Looking up at the house in front of him, it was thrice bigger than his house, and the light was still on, meaning that the occupant was still awake.

Would it trouble her if he entered and told them he wanted to speak with Li Caiyi? He might have scared her too for coming uninvited so late at night.

Why did he come here? There was absolutely nothing he could do if Li Caiyi didn't want to meet him. His creepy persistence would only alarm her. His brain must malfunction due to the cold to even consider this idea.

Dai Zhiqiang had done many ridiculous things today, and that was all because of her. Did he yearn to be remembered by her so badly? Had he fallen for her?

He brooded over the question for a long time before realizing that both questions' answers were yes. If not, then there was no way to explain his weird behavior.

Just when he finally acknowledged his feelings, he had to go far away without knowing when he would return. It weighed his heart a lot.

However, the die had been cast, and there was no turning back.

Casting a long last look at the house, Dai Zhiqiang buried the sadness and loneliness deep inside him before turning around and leaving.

***

Four years later.

Dai Zhiqiang was sitting in the small cafe, waiting for his brother to arrive. The atmosphere of F country was very different from N or S Country, and he wondered how his brother coped with it.

Dai Zhiqiang was so excited to meet him again; he chose the table closest to the door, so he could immediately spot Dai Shenqiang once he arrived.

It had been years since the last time they met. Dai Zhiqiang remembered his brother vehemently refused to go abroad before and how he had a hard time adjusting to the lifestyle here.

Luckily, he seemed brighter in the past few months, and Dai Zhiqiang couldn't be happier to hear him live well.

The sad news was that Dai Bolin's condition didn't improve much. He fought his disease well, but even surgery could barely help him nowadays. It showed how the treatment effectiveness gradually declined, and Dai Zhiqiang couldn't wait for his brother to come so they could check on him together.

Dai Zhiqiang tirelessly followed the boss' orders in the past few years and has been involved in many shady cases. He had officially joined Ye Wang and even made a name for himself.

They called him Cerberus, the guard dog of the underworld. It was a very over-the-top name, but the boss liked it very much.

As compensation for his hard work, Ye Huizhong proposed an offer for his brother. Using his power, Dai Shenqiang could receive the best treatment for his hand, and he could pick any school he wished to enroll in.

According to Dai Shenqiang, the treatment was successful, and his condition improved significantly.

There were still a lot of up and down, but Dai Zhiqiang was pretty content with his current life.

He couldn't stay with his family, but at least they were all still alive.

If he didn't take Ye Huizhong's hand back then, he probably would have dropped out of school and worked multiple jobs simultaneously by now.

Dai Zhiqiang sipped on his coffee as the chime on the door rang, meaning a new customer just came in. He turned his head and saw Dai Shenqiang standing there.

Compared to the last time he saw him, Dai Shenqiang had changed a lot.

He became taller, with a much milder temperament. The pair of eyes, which used to contain various emotions, now had a subdued feeling to it, making his emotion unreadable.

He wore a simple, neat shirt with jeans and white sneakers. His hair had grown longer and was tied to the back. At a glance, he looked like a calm aspiring artist.

Their gazes met each other almost instantly, and Dai Shenqiang smiled faintly before speaking. "It's been a while."