"Are you even listening to me?" Li Caiyi asked in displeasure.
"Yes, yes. I'm listening to you."
"Lies. You keep grinning and not focusing at all."
"Am I? Well, it must be because I'm happy." Dai Zhiqiang chuckled.
He held her closer and leaned to whisper in her ear. "I wish we could remain like this forever."
Li Caiyi shivered when his warm breath hit her ears.
He laughed in a low voice, seeing her reaction. "You are weak in your ears. How cute."
Li Caiyi: "!!!"
She jolted in surprise when his soft lips touched her ear slightly, just like a brush on the skin. It tickled and caught her off guard. She didn't hate it, but the sensation made her feel weird; she subconsciously squirmed away from him.
Dai Zhiqiang didn't let her go and held her even tighter, causing mass panic in Li Caiyi's head.
"Zhi-Zhiqiang?!"
"If you keep acting cute like that, you'll have to bear the consequences."
Li Caiyi couldn't see his face because he had buried his head on her shoulder. The soft sensation on her ears moved lower in the next second before finally finding its place on the side of her neck.
"Mmm!" Li Caiyi was so surprised she unknowingly let out a soft whimper.
She didn't expect Dai Zhiqiang to be so daring. Were high-schoolers always this bold when expressing their affection? Even with her adult mentality, she couldn't keep up with his pace!
The place where he touched her felt like burning. Her temperature went up to the point her glasses became foggy.
There was a slight smacking sound when Dai Zhiqiang pulled his lips from her smooth neck. A smirk of satisfaction appeared on his face, seeing the red mark made by him on her fair skin.
The way she latched onto him tightly was like a spoiled kitten. Thinking it again, it was a good thing he had to leave soon, or he didn't know what he would do to her next.
"Don't forget this. You are not allowed to act cutely in front of the other guys."
Li Caiyi felt like she could faint. She didn't imagine it when she heard a sense of possessiveness in his voice. If she wasn't holding on to him, she probably would already crumble to the ground from how weak her legs became.
"Sadly, I have to go now. You can enter a store to take shelter from the rain for the time being. Don't stand here alone, or some weird guys will come preying on you again." Dai Zhiqiang said as he played with her hair.
"Y-yes," Li Caiyi answered, half-conscious and half-dazed.
"We will meet again soon. Don't cry alone in a place where I can't see you. Wait until I come to you, and you can cry all you want."
Li Caiyi's lips quivered before her lips curved into a bright smile. "Yes. I will only cry when you are around then."
"Good girl."
Dai Zhiqiang stroked her head a few times before slowly releasing her. They stared at each other for a few seconds, which felt like forever before the younger man turned away.
"See you later."
Li Caiyi's hand unconsciously raised in an attempt to stop him when she saw him leaving. However, before she could say anything, Dai Zhiqiang had run through the rain without looking back.
Li Caiyi tightened his blazer wrapped around her body, feeling lonely already. Her hand touched her neck where he pressed his lips before, and a blush crept up her face.
It was a windy and cold night, but Li Caiyi felt warm all over.
There was no way she would feel this strongly about someone if she didn't have any feelings for that person.
"I like him very much." Li Caiyi murmured softly, and as though her own words resonated deep within her, her heart beat accelerated.
She stared in the direction where Dai Zhiqiang ran and prayed that she would meet him again soon.
***
Li Caiyi went to school later than usual. Mostly because she couldn't sleep well, thinking about a series of events yesterday.
Li Junjie took sick leave today, and from Li Chunhua, she knew that her brother had recuperated well. The injury on him wasn't too severe, so if everything went well, he could go home today.
Yesterday was undoubtedly an unforgettable birthday for him.
Li Caiyi was so overwhelmed with everything that she hadn't had a chance to congratulate him yesterday. Not that they were in the right mood for celebration, either.
In the end, Li Jirong didn't return home and stayed at the hospital for the whole night.
After he barged out of the house in a hurry, Li Caiyi was curious about where he went, so she asked Detective Tang to check using the hidden camera. Sure enough, that man stayed a night at his office, and apparently, he had wasted himself by drinking all night.
Li Caiyi didn't know if it was okay to use an office for personal use like that, but that wasn't her business anymore. From now on, Li Jirong was a stranger to her family, and she prayed they would never cross each other again in this lifetime.
Currently, Li Caiyi was eagerly waiting for her book's official launch. If she could earn profit from this, then she could move out of the house faster than she thought.
Li Caiyi has never been confident about anything in her life, but she had a good feeling about this. Perhaps because many people had acknowledged her skill before this, she finally could have this confidence. It was a very good and liberating feeling.
Li Caiyi looked outside the window and up to the sky, hopeful for the future. Now, if she could just come up with something to help Li Chunhua's condition, she could finally live at ease.
"Sigh…the time has finally come again. Why? Why should exams exist in the world??"
Chen Ruolan, who was currently standing beside her, groaned painfully, looking at the schedule for the midterm exam being posted on the announcement board. She grimaced while messing with her hair.
"Stop whining. You just need to study well, and everything will be fine." Zhou Ya chided her.
"But studying too much will cut my time watching movies. I don't like it!"
"You are watching movies for over 10 hours a day. Reducing it for a little wouldn't be too much trouble."
"You'd better not slack off on your studies, or we will end up in separate classes." Feng Nian added while chuckling. "Last time, your grades barely passed to B class. And it was half thanks to Ya Ya who watched over your study."
"Ya Ya! Please don't abandon me too this time!" Chen Ruolan cried out dramatically while hugging Zhou Ya's neck, prompting an annoyed expression from her.
"Keep this on, and I won't help you with anything!"
Li Caiyi giggled at her friend's antics. Having them as her friends was really a blessing. There were never boring times when she was with them.
"Caiyi, I see you have been studying these days diligently. Are you aiming for class A now?" Feng Nian asked her.
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