Rebirth: Once Again With You

He stood there and watched the lone woman sitting on the bench.

A few years had passed since the last time he saw her, but she was still as beautiful as before. No, her girlish aura had faded as time passed and was replaced by the calm air of a matured woman. She became even more beautiful, and it made his heart race.

Dai Zhiqiang hesitated whether he should approach her or not. Not that he was worried she would recognize him because they had never talked before. But he was already this nervous even when he was just watching from afar, much less if he actually stood near her.

Then, from the corner of his eyes, he saw two men, which he assumed were also students from the same university. They glanced at Li Caiyi with a smirk on their face. One glance and people could tell that those two were up to no good.

Dai Zhiqiang didn't like the way they leered at her. He wanted to go there and gouge their eyes if he could. But then, he remembered he couldn't cause commotion there.

Meanwhile, the attention subject was utterly oblivious of her surrounding. She kept her head down, reading the book on her lap, without noticing that several men were keeping their eyes on her.

When he noticed the two men making their move, he took a step forward. With his long legs and superior speed, he reached the bench faster and plopped himself down on the space beside her.

Feeling unsatisfied, he also spread his arm on top of the backrest, creating a notion of closeness with her.

Sure enough, the two men stopped approaching and gazed at Dai Zhiqiang with annoyance and vigilance.

He sneered when he watched them refusing to leave, so he scooted closer to her possessively and glared at them. This glare was always successful in making his enemies lose their morale and cower in fear, so how could two college guys have any guts to press further?

It seemed they could sense the dangerous aura around Dai Zhiqiang because they quickly nudged each other and ran away from there with a pale faces.

Cowards like them weren't deserved to disturb Li Caiyi's time.

Dai Zhiqiang scoffed as he smiled triumphantly.

However, he quickly became tense when he realized his position. If Li Caiyi turned around and saw it, she probably wondered why a random stranger would suddenly do this, right? As much as he enjoyed this rare chance, he didn't want to scare her.

Dai Zhiqiang subtly glanced at her and was relieved she seemed to have no interest in anything other than the book on her lap. He wanted to stay like this longer, so he kept quiet and tried not to make any noise. Both of them were so silent that he was worried the sound of his breathing would break the tranquillity.

Unlike in high school, her hair became longer, and she didn't tie her hair in a ponytail anymore. Although she still wore that glasses, they couldn't cover her beauty. She was calm and elegant, like a lily that grew in the middle of the garden.

He watched how her hair sometimes fell on her book, and then she tucked it behind her ear, revealing her side profile to him.

Dai Zhiqiang sighed inwardly. He was already content watching her from afar, but being able to sit side by side like this felt like a reward for him. He hoped the time would stop so he could watch her serene face forever.

However, his happiness was short-lived when the sound of the phone ringing disturbed the calm and snapped the woman's attention. Dai Zhiqiang quickly removed his hand and pretended to scratch his head awkwardly.

Thankfully, Li Caiyi didn't notice because her focus shifted elsewhere once she saw the caller ID. With a bright smile, she accepted the call.

"Hello? Brother Renshu? Where are you? I'm already here."

Dai Zhiqiang's eyebrows twitched when he heard that familiar name. Even when he was forced to go abroad, he occasionally received a report about Li Caiyi, so he knew that this girl and her childhood friend went to the same university.

He saw how her eyes and smile were brimming with love as she spoke with him. It stung his heart, knowing that only this part of her had never changed. Even when the person she loved was dating her twin sister, she still stubbornly held on to that unrequited love.

That bastard didn't even realize how lucky he was.

Thinking back, it was all his fault for not trying to make any move while he still had a chance, so he could blame no one but himself.

Even by men's standards, Meng Renshu was indeed an excellent man, but wouldn't she be the one who would get hurt whenever she saw her beloved and sister together?

Why couldn't she just give up on him?

"Ah, you can't come here because Xiaohua needs help on her assignment?"

The light on her eyes immediately dimmed, and her smile stiffened. However, her tone when she replied to him was as bright as always.

"It's okay. We can go next time. The due date won't be until next week, so don't worry."

"Xiaohua rarely has trouble when doing her assignment. You should help her, Brother Renshu."

"En. Let's talk again later."

After the call ended, her hand slowly fell on her lap, and the smile on her face completely disappeared. Her previously bright face turned gloomy. Sure enough, she pretended to be okay while talking on the phone earlier.

He thought she would cry for sure, but she silently put her book into her bag and stood up.

Dai Zhiqiang couldn't gauge her emotional state from the deadpan expression on her face. He had no words to say to her, nor did he have any qualification to do so. His inability to call out to her made him feel powerless.

Li Caiyi didn't spare him a glance and left just like that.

Even if he was saddened by that fact, he couldn't blame her for that. Dai Zhiqiang had never existed in her world, so why would she bother to pay attention to him?

The thought depressed him and watching her small back go further away made him feel lonelier.