Rebirth: Once Again With You

They ate the light snacks Dai Zhiqiang brought as their breakfast before they were finally ready to walk down the mountain.

Dai Zhiqiang wore both of their bags in front of her body. Then, he crouched in front of Li Caiyi, with his back facing her.

"Hop on. I'll carry you down the mountain."

"What?! How can I make you do that? I'll be fine if you lend me your shoulder for a bit."

"Didn't you say you want to meet your sister as soon as possible to ensure her condition? If I let you walk, then it will take a long time before we can reach the bottom. It will aggravate your injury too."

"But, I'm pretty heavy…."

"You know I have a sturdy body, and I bet you aren't as heavy as crates of alcohol I have to lift every day."

Li Caiyi was hesitant, but she knew they couldn't waste their time here. She carefully climbed on his back and wrapped her arm around his neck. "P-please tell me if you need to rest. Don't force your—kya!!"

Li Caiyi shrieked when Dai Zhiqiang suddenly rose to his feet, lifting her with him. This was the first time she was carried on the back like this by anyone, so her heart skipped a beat from nervousness.

"Hold on tight. I'll try to walk slowly and carefully. Let me know if the shaking hurts your injury."

Dai Zhiqiang didn't seem like he was struggling as he walked. Even though Li Caiyi must be pretty heavy, the way he carried her made her appear as light as a feather.

He didn't mention her weight at all, as though he knew she was self-conscious about it. If he said she was light, she wouldn't be able to believe him anyway, so this silent kindness flattered her immensely.

Being so close to him made her smell the faint peppermint smell from him. It was strange. After getting drenched by the rain, the smell should have disappeared, but some still remained on him.

It was the scent she liked very much.

Li Caiyi tightened her hold on him and leaned her head, placing her chin on her shoulder. Contrary to her thoughts, this might not be as bad as she thought.

"Caiyi, you don't have to hold me that tight, you know?"

Dai Zhiqiang's remark snapped her out of her daze. She realized she almost choked him with how tight she wrapped her arms around her neck and quickly loosened her strength. "Sorry about that!"

"Don't be afraid. I have a grip on you. I will not let you fall down."

"En, I trust you." Li Caiyi smiled happily.

Dai Zhiqiang kept walking ahead without saying anything. Li Caiyi thought it was because he was too focused on finding the way down the mountain, but the boy actually tried to hide how flustered he was.

With how she pressed her chest to his back like that, it would be weird if he could still focus. Dai Zhiqiang was grateful she didn't hold him as tight as before, or he wouldn't know what to think anymore.

Oblivious to her boyfriend's state of fluster, Li Caiyi took her time enjoying the view of the morning forest.

They would occasionally stop when she spotted a pretty flower or insisted that Dai Zhiqiang take a rest. The initial awkwardness was dispelled after they got used to it, and in no time at all, they found themselves chatting merrily throughout the journey.

Then, after walking for almost an hour, they finally reached a small waterfall that flowed into a stream which divided the forest. Dai Zhiqiang perked up as soon as he saw it.

"Caiyi, we are already close to the bottom of the mountain. I remember passing through here yesterday."

"Really?! That's great. I thought it would take longer." Li Caiyi exclaimed happily.

"Yeah. Soon, you can go to the hospital to treat your wound and injury. I will accompany you."

"En. Thank you, Zhiqiang."

Dai Zhiqiang walked across the stream using the stones in the middle of the stream. Li Caiyi was pretty nervous, so she clenched on his shoulders.

"Don't worry. I told you I would never let you fall, right?"

"I know. I'm not afraid of falling. I'm afraid you will slip and get hurt."

Dai Zhiqiang chuckled in amusement. "Your concern is appreciated, but you should worry about yourself now."

When they finally managed to cross the stream safely, Li Caiyi heaved a sigh of relief. After that, they walked a bit further until they finally saw the main road they used to climb yesterday. Li Caiyi almost couldn't contain her excitement.

"Xiaoyi!"

However, her excitement was cut short when she heard a familiar voice calling her name. They turned their head toward the voice source simultaneously and found Meng Renshu standing not far from there.

Li Caiyi's eyes widened in surprise. She had known him for a long time, but this was the first time she saw him look this haggard.

His hair was messy, with reddened eyes and dark circles under his eyes. He was still wearing yesterday's jersey, which he was unlikely to do since he was pretty strict about hygiene and cleanliness.

Judging from his messy appearance and how there were leaves stuck on his hair, it wasn't hard to guess that he must have spent a lot of time searching for her.

"Zhiqiang, can you put me down first?"

"Caiyi, you are still hurt." Dai Zhiqiang replied unwillingly. There was a hint of warning in his voice, making her hesitant to talk with Meng Renshu.

"Xiaoyi, you are fine. Thank goodness."

Meng Renshu said with relief painted all over his face. His eyes glistened under the sunlight, making her suspect he was on the verge of tears. But a minute later, she scoffed at her own thoughts.

"Brother Renshu, as you can see, I'm very fine. Thank you for worrying about me. I'm sorry, but I can't get down due to circumstances."

"Why? Are you hurt?" Meng Renshu's expression changed from worry to anger to upset in seconds. Li Caiyi couldn't gauge what he thought at all.

"Yes, but it's not severe. Zhiqiang helped me with first aid treatment last night."

Now Meng Renshu's countenance turned ashen after he heard that. His brows furrow in the mixture of confusion and displeasure. "By that, you mean spent a night with him?"

"That's right. Last night the storm prevented us from going anywhere. Thank goodness we found a cave where we can take shelter from it."

Meng Renshu appeared like he wanted to say something more, but Dai Zhiqiang beat him to it by saying, "Senior Meng, Caiyi needs treatment as soon as possible. I'll be taking her down the mountain first."

Dai Zhiqiang didn't wait for Meng Renshu to respond and walked away.

Li Caiyi subtly looked behind. She couldn't see Meng Renshu's face well because of the distance, but she felt that his figure seemed smaller than she remembered.

'Did he even sleep? He doesn't look well. It can't be that he is looking for me all night, right?' Li Caiyi unconsciously thought but soon shook her head, denying her assumption.

There was no need to find out the answer. Yes or no, Li Caiyi had no words to say to him anyway.

With that thought, she faced forward again.