Rebirth: Once Again With You

A long week of exams was finally over, but there was no sign of Li Chunhua waking up soon. Previously, she would be admitted to the hospital a few times and unconscious for a few weeks, but this time it took longer for her to wake. Li Caiyi was worried, but there was nothing she could do except wait.

Opening the door to her sister's room, she quickly spotted a young man sitting beside the bed. Li Caiyi smiled, seeing that.

"Jingfei, you are here again," she greeted him softly, and the boy turned to her with his usual grin.

"Well, I had nothing better to do today, so I thought, why not visit her."

"But you are here almost every day," Li Caiyi's eyes glinted with amusement.

"... I'm not busy these days. And I thought you would need some help in watching over her."

"Sure, whatever you say." Li Caiyi couldn't understand why he even tried to hide it at this point.

Shao Jingfei cleared his throat before asking again, "Are you going to stay in the hospital all day again today?"

Li Caiyi shook her head. "No, I'm just dropping by to check on her. I have to go somewhere today. There is something I must do, so having you here is a lifesaver."

"Really? Where are you going?"

She pressed her index finger on her lips before replying, "It's secret. I'll leave Xiaoahua in your care then."

***

Li Caiyi was worried she would bump into Dai Zhiqiang if she visited Dai Bolin every day, so she took extra precautions by ensuring he wasn't around when she decided to pay a visit.

Today was one of them. Even though Li Caiyi had resolved to not run from Dai Zhiqiang again, her heart was still not ready. She thought talking to Dai Bolin perhaps could make her feel better.

Pushing the door slowly, she saw Dai Bolin sitting on the bed. There was an empty tray beside him, indicating he had just finished his meal.

"Uncle, I'm here again today. How are you feeling?" Li Caiyi greeted him with a big smile as soon as she stepped inside.

Unlike previous days, Dai Shenqiang wasn't here, but it was better for her. With light steps, she approached the older man, who was delighted to see her.

"I have a feeling that Little Yi will visit me soon. It turns out to be true."

"Your face color looks better than yesterday. Thank goodness. I'm sorry for not being able to come here every day. The exam is kind of holding me back."

Dai Bolin waved his hand. "Except for you, there will be no one to visit an old man like me. Having you come here to accompany me from time to time is already more than I could ask for."

Li Caiyi always felt better whenever she was around Dai Bolin. He was like a father figure she never had, and she felt closer to him than any other adults around her.

She was contemplating whether she should ask or not, but curiosity got the better of her. "Uncle, can I ask you something?"

"What is it, Little Yi?" He looked at her attentively, waiting for her to continue.

"It may not be my place to ask about this, but I wonder if your wife—I mean, ex-wife ever comes here to visit you."

Dai Bolin clearly didn't see it coming. He was flustered for a moment before breaking into laughter. "Haha, Little Yi, you got me good. To answer your question, she has never come since I woke up."

Li Caiyi had figured it would be that case. She expected Yue Ling to not come here again after her 'threat', but it still hurt to see the light in Dai Bolin's eyes dim slightly as he admitted that.

It might be insensitive, but she wanted to hear his reasoning no matter what. "Uncle, why are you letting your ex-wife be around you again?"

"It's a bit complicated, Little Yi. I'm a weak man, but I still want my kids to have a better life. Hating their mother won't bring them any benefit at all."

Li Caiyi shook her head. She sadly looked at the older man's resigned expression before speaking, "Is it because you are afraid they will be left alone in this world?"

His eyes curved up in the shape of a crescent, all while having a meaningful smile on his lips. "I'm ashamed to admit it, but there is nothing I can do for them anymore. The way I am now, I will only become a burden for them, so I don't mind even if I die. My only regret is that I couldn't do much for them. Yue Ling probably can do better than me."

"No, that's not true!" Li Caiyi rebuked strongly, almost raising her voice. "Zhiqiang and Shenqiang loved you dearly. They will never think like that!"

So it was confirmed that Dai Bolin let Yue Ling visit him regularly. He wanted to create an opportunity for her to interact with her sons again and possibly rekindle the mother-son bond between them. Alas, his well-intended wish only made his son hate her even more.

"Little Yi, I appreciate your concern, but that's the truth. I can feel I don't have much time left with them anymore. At this rate, I won't be able to leave this world in peace, knowing my two sons would be left alone in this harsh world without their parents. I just couldn't accept it, no matter what. Yue Ling has a lot of shortcomings, but I don't have any choice."

Li Caiyi's nose soured hearing Dai Bolin's desperate wish. Why did a good and caring father like Dai Bolin have to leave so early while her scummy father was still alive and kicking? It was unfair.

Dai Bolin reached out to her, and she quickly held his hand in hers. He was already thin before, but she felt like he had grown lighter than the last time she grabbed his hand.

"Little Yi, the only solace I have is knowing that you will be there beside Zhi and Shen. I was perturbed since they were very hostile towards their mother, but they seemed to listen to you well. Please, if you can, guide them to the correct path. I'm sorry for leaving a burdening request to you like this."

"Uncle, please don't say that. Your surgery is a success, so all hope is not lost yet. You have to live for a long time. If not for yourself, at least for them." Li Caiyi said with a quivering voice.

But Dai Bolin's expression was very peaceful, like a man who had fulfilled his every task and was ready to call it quits. "Thank you, my dear. I'm very grateful to have someone like you near my son. Zhi can be stubborn and reckless sometimes, but he will never deliberately hurt someone. He didn't look very happy these days, and I assumed it must have been related to you."

Li Caiyi was a bit embarrassed, but she did come here to talk about Dai Zhiqiang with him. "There is nothing to get past you, Uncle. You are right. Honestly, I'm very confused right now."

"Did Zhi do something wrong? You can speak freely with me, and I will scold him for you later!"

"No, it's not anything big. I know Zhiqiang means well, but I can't say I like the way he does it. It makes me feel like I was being controlled, and I don't know how to face him after that." Li Caiyi explained forlornly.

Dai Bolin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I can see there is a deep circumstance behind this, but I won't ask for the details. Lately, Zhi often sighed from time to time while staring at nothing or jumping at the mere sound of his phone, like he was expecting someone to contact him. From that alone, I understand that he fully understands your concern right now. But he is inflexible, so he must find it hard to approach you first."

"I made him wait too long," Li Caiyi responded dejectedly. "If I think about it again, rather than being scared of facing him, I think I'm more afraid of what I will find out after I confront him about it. Honestly, I'm at a loss."

"My Zhi must have troubled you so much. He always tries to keep everything by himself, which makes people misunderstand him often. But one thing is for sure, he always has a good reason for it. Little Yi, I understand your worries, but are you fine leaving everything just the way it is?"

"No. I hate it. I want to understand Zhiqiang better."

Dai Bolin smiled. "Then, there is nothing to worry about. You already have the courage you need inside you."

Li Caiyi took her time to let his words seep into her heart, and suddenly she felt so much lighter than before.

"Uncle, I think I know what I want to do now. Thank you." She said with a relieved smile.

"I'm glad if my nosy advice can help you. There is nothing to worry about because you two clearly have each other in mind, even when you are apart. Isn't that right, Zhi?"

Li Caiyi was shocked and immediately turned her head, following Dai Bolin's line of sight. The next moment, Dai Zhiqiang entered the room from the slightly opened door. She was speechless. She had a deja vu feeling since this situation was oddly similar to the last time in the school infirmary.

"If you are here, why didn't you come in?" Dai Bolin asked him, representing Li Caiyi, who was frozen in place.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I lost the timing to come in, also…." Dai Zhiqiang glanced at her briefly before continuing, "You two seemed to have a serious conversation, so I didn't want to intrude."