Rebirth: Once Again With You

He was afraid she would disappear again.

He didn't want to imagine living without her again.

If she was gone again, he would go crazy from the loss.

Meng Renshu's mind was in a mess, and his own thoughts confused him.

'Wait, again? When did that happen? Why did I think that?'

For as long as he could remember, Li Caiyi had consistently grown side by side with him. She was always there within his sight, so why would he feel she could disappear without a trace when he wasn't looking?

Ting!

Meng Renshu crouched down while holding his hand when a prickling pain hit his head. It was like his head was stabbed by a needle repeatedly in the same spot.

"Hey!" Li Caiyi exclaimed in panic when she saw Meng Renshu lose his balance.

Out of reflex, she opened her arm to prop his wobbling body. Seeing Meng Renshu's painful expression made her feel distressed. "See? This is what you get for forcing yourself."

"Xiaoyi, I'm sorry," Meng Renshu said with much difficulty. He held her shoulders to stabilize himself, but the headache made it difficult for him to stand straight.

'This is even worse than usual,' Meng Renshu groaned inwardly.

Frequent headaches were almost a daily occurrence to him. He predicted it started ever since he had that nightmare, but he didn't expect it to grow worse.

He had tried consulting this with a professional, following Li Caiyi's advice. The doctor and therapist said there was nothing wrong with him, and the sleep deprivation came from the stress.

The amount of medicine he took increased, but it barely helped his symptoms. At this point, Meng Renshu had given up trying and only resigned himself to fate.

"If you are sorry, never do this kind of thing again! Stop making other people worry about you."

"I'm sorry. Your plan is ruined because of me."

Li Caiyi had a blank face for a moment, as though she had forgotten about that.

"Ah, no worries. What kind of person do you think I am? I can't leave a sick person like you alone in the empty street like this."

Meng Renshu smiled weakly. A sense of bitterness filled up his chest. "Are you sure you want to make Dai Zhiqiang wait?"

"Ah? Why would he wait for me?" Li Caiyi tilted his head in confusion before realization struck her. "Is that why you keep saying nonsense earlier? I never said my appointment was with Zhiqiang, didn't I?"

"It's not?"

"No. I promised my friends I would treat them to ice creams today."

Meng Renshu didn't know whether or not he should feel relieved.

At first, he was happy that Li Caiyi still cared enough about him that she didn't mind making her boyfriend wait so she could look after him. But it turned out her appointment wasn't with Dai Zhiqiang.

'If Dai Zhiqiang was the one waiting for her, would she completely cast me aside and leave without looking back?'

His mind was filled with negative thoughts, and the current Meng Renshu wasn't strong enough to chase them away. Everything was jumbled up in his head, like boiling water spilled from the pot, causing steam to come out of his head.

"Can you… not go? Please stay with me."

"Ah? Hey!"

Li Caiyi didn't have time to respond because Meng Renshu had slumped forward and wholly relied on her body to support him. She whined at the sudden weight falling on her. She checked on his condition in panic.

Meng Renshu's eyes were closed. He was frowning with his brows wet from sweat. His breath was heavy, and his skin felt hot and sticky.

"Sorry, I can't hold my body steady. I swear I'm not trying to take advantage of you here." Meng Renshu laughed weakly, but his voice was so hoarse it sounded scary instead.

Li Caiyi didn't bother reacting to the joke and put her hands all over him. The ticklish sensation caused ripples in his heart. His face felt even hotter now.

"Uh, Xiaoyi? Not that I mind, but what are you doing?"

"My phone is in my bag. Where did you put yours? I have to call Mr. Mu again." Li Caiyi replied immediately.

'Of course, it was because of that.' Meng Renshu didn't know what he had expected.

"It's in my pants pocket."

"This one?"

Li Caiyi sneaked his hand into his pocket, but doing so made their body glued together even closer than before.

The lavender fragrance of her hair was so soothing. It made his headache get slightly better.

Even when he knew she didn't have any weird intention, butterflies still flew inside his stomach at this closeness.

He wanted to get closer to her. However, if he put his weight onto her more than this, they probably would go down together, so he restrained his impulse.

"Oh, never mind. There it is!" Li Caiyi cried in excitement upon spotting a familiar car slowly coming out from the intersection. She raised one of her hands to wave at it, trying to get the driver's attention.

Meng Renshu shifted his gaze to his car, and he regretted that he had called his driver so soon.

Previously, he desperately wished for his car to suddenly appear in front of him, but now he wished for it to drive past them instead.

"Brother Renshu, hang in there for a little longer."

​ She sounded so excited, making him feel conflicted. Good things would always end, and Meng Renshu had no choice but to accept it.

Soon after that, the car stopped beside them, and Mr. Mu came out from the driver's side in haste.

"Miss Caiyi, what happened to the Young Master?" He asked her cautiously while helping Meng Renshu to lean his body on himself.

"I think he had a mild fever, and the sun worsened his condition. Please take care of him." Li Caiyi quickly filled in the situation. She bit her lips when she looked at Meng Renshu's weak appearance.

"Mr. Mu, please make sure he has a bed rest. Since you are here already, I will take my leave now."

Mr. Mu was about to nod his head when he felt Meng Renshu squeezing his arm.

As Meng Renshu's personal driver and caretaker since his childhood, he was susceptible to his young master's needs. The habit of serving him had been ingrained in his bones to the point where he could understand Meng Renshu's thoughts to some extent without needing to ask.

"I'm sorry for asking this, Miss Caiyi, but can you stay with the Young Master for a while?"