Category: I Don’t Want to Be Reborn With You

Chapter 20: The Price of Fate

Every single thing in the world has a price tag secretly attached, and every experience in a person’s life will eventually be cashed in at some point in the future. Lu Li never believed that hard work would necessarily lead to success, but he believed that all his efforts would eventually condense into some kind of result – whether good or bad.

Chu Jingyi clasped her hands nervously. The sales figures on the screen might not even be comparable to her monthly allowance, but they tugged at her heartstrings, manipulating her emotions. Silly Goose didn’t usually play games and had no concept of game releases. She didn’t dare to ask Lu Li whether the number was good or bad, afraid of discouraging him if the data was too low.

She tugged at An Baili’s sleeve and winked, as if asking, “Baili, how is it?”

An Baili looked at the number 55 on the screen and shook her head slightly. As of 8:30 a.m., only fifty-five copies had been sold. This was a terrible result, especially for Lu Li.

Silly Goose was already mentally preparing words of comfort for Lu Li. She didn’t care how many copies were sold, she only cared about whether he was happy. Just then, Wen Hupo snorted coldly. “They have no taste.” She was referring to the users of the Valve platform.

Lu Li was the calmest among them. With his mentality, he had long learned to take the ups and downs of his career in stride. He didn’t want the girls to be pessimistic, so he slapped his thigh, stood up with a smile, and said, “Okay, let’s let time prove our team’s worth.”

“Lu Li…” An Baili pouted and looked at him with a pitiful expression. She wanted to say that if he was unhappy, he could do whatever he wanted to her tonight.

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine.” Lu Li chuckled, seeing the girls’ disappointed expressions. They didn’t even care about the game, yet they were more upset than he was. He had already anticipated the low initial sales. Without much publicity or reputation, most players would adopt a wait-and-see attitude. After all, no one’s money grew on trees. He had made some preparations, but the strategies were too complicated to explain, and it would seem like he was making excuses. So Lu Li decided to just laugh it off and let fate take its course.

“Is it really okay?” Silly Goose asked foolishly, “Are you unhappy, Lu Li?”

This girl was truly silly. How was he supposed to answer such a direct question? Lu Li took Silly Goose’s soft hand, his face beaming with a smile. “Yes, I need a sweet hug from my girlfriend to cheer me up.”

“Oh.” Silly Goose obediently leaned in and hugged Lu Li gently. The girl’s body was warm as always, with a faint floral fragrance. What Lu Li loved most about girls was their body temperature, so soft, warm, and sweet. He never wanted to let go once he held them in his arms.

This girl was truly both infuriating and endearing. Lu Li saw An Baili drawing circles on the floor with the tip of her shoe and knew that she was probably thinking about how to comfort him. His heart warmed. Just a small setback, and these girls were already trying their best to cheer him up. He usually coaxed and pampered them, but now they were working together to pamper him. What more could he ask for in life?

Wen Hupo said with a straight face, “It’s the netizens who have no taste. Your game combined with my art should be a priceless masterpiece.” Was this Hupo’s unique way of showing concern? Lu Li chuckled.

“I’ll treat everyone to dinner after school today. We have to celebrate the game’s release.” Lu Li announced, pinching Silly Goose’s earlobe.

“Okay~ I’ll listen to you~” An Baili was the first to raise her hand.

“I, I need to call my mom.” The good girl said.

“Whatever.” This was Wen Hupo.

Back in the classroom, Lu Li attended class as usual. The two girls behind him kept trying to find excuses to talk to him. Silly Goose was the most amusing. She would ask if he was thirsty, if he wanted snacks, if his hand was tired from taking notes, and if she should help him. Lu Li’s unknown female deskmate almost burst out laughing, clenching her fists to suppress her amusement.

Lu Li felt like he had suddenly become a national treasure in their eyes, like a baby panda being cared for with every sip of water and every bite of food.

If he were any weaker, he would be spoiled rotten by these girls. No wonder they said that the land of gentleness was the most enchanting and debilitating. How many heroes had fallen into the arms of beauties and never picked up their swords again?

Lu Li, you have to stay strong, you can’t just be a kept man! He told himself.

During lunch, as soon as Lu Li sat down in the cafeteria, Chu Jingyi came over with two lunch trays and served him soup obediently, not saying a word, like a virtuous wife sitting by his side. An Baili arranged his chopsticks and spoon and sat quietly on his other side. The passing students couldn’t help but point and whisper. Lu Li vaguely heard them saying:

“That’s Lu Li…”

“…Damn it…”

“…Kill that dog Lu… Steal our goddess…”

Just then, Lu Li’s phone vibrated. He checked it and a smug smile appeared on his face.

An Baili peeked at his phone and saw a message from someone whose contact name was “Annoying Girl.” Jealousy flared, and she couldn’t help but mutter, “That homewrecker is useless.” She was complaining about Chen Jianing not being able to contribute.

Lu Li quickly finished his food. “Hurry up and eat, we’re going to the activity classroom later. I have good news.”

Silly Goose eagerly agreed and imitated Lu Li, eating quickly, but her big eyes were fixed on him, her mind completely occupied by him. This was both her misfortune and her fortune. Her misfortune was that people who lacked certain qualities tended to be overly invested in their first relationships, to the point of losing themselves. And these relationships often ended in heartbreak and failure. Chu Jingyi was this type of person. Her fortune was that the other person was Lu Li.

She followed Lu Li with small, quick steps. Silly Goose used to walk with a decisive and confident stride, but at some point, she started paying extra attention to her image in front of Lu Li. She would ask her classmates for advice on how to be more likable, ask her mother what gifts boys liked, and carefully choose her socks and scarf for the day.

She just wanted him to notice her.

Lu Li arrived at the activity classroom and opened the game’s page. The number of units sold had soared to over 2300 and was still increasing rapidly.

Silly Goose looked at the number blankly, not understanding if it was good or bad. Seeing An Baili jumping up and down excitedly, she also started jumping, mimicking her. She just wanted Lu Li to be happy, she didn’t care about the mysteries of the world.

Lu Li was touched by Silly Goose’s clumsy and stiff movements. He pulled her into a hug and said affectionately, “Silly girl.” The moment these gentle words left his lips, Silly Goose’s body melted in his arms. She felt like everything was worth it.

“…I’m not silly…” She clung to his clothes, inhaling his scent, feeling like a small insect trapped in a spiderweb, sinking deeper and deeper.

March 17th. Eternal Joy Studio’s first game was released. As of 1 p.m., over 3,000 copies had been sold.

Chapter 19: Release Day

Back in the low-rent district, An Baili was still snuggled under the warm blanket, inhaling Lu Li’s scent and smiling dreamily. Lu Li pinched her delicate nose and said with mock disgust, “Wake up, it’s time for school. Don’t you remember what day it is today?”

An Baili wriggled and whined, “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I’m going to suffocate~” Lu Li released his grip, and An Baili burrowed her head under the blanket. “Let me sleep for five more minutes, just five minutes, please. I’m begging you~”

This girl didn’t even open her eyes when she spoke. She was a true sloth. A mischievous thought crossed Lu Li’s mind, and he slipped his hand inside An Baili’s shirt.

“Don’t pinch… Let me sleep…” Her little foot kicked up. “What are you doing? Stop it, I hate it, don’t… don’t pinch anymore… Ah…”

Her voice trembled as she tried to push his hand away, but how could her strength compare to his? After pinching for a while, Lu Li felt something harden under his touch, like a soft candy. He gently scratched her nipple with his fingernail, and An Baili moaned. “Don’t… Don’t pinch… Gently…” Her words were broken and breathless.

The girl’s delicate body was as smooth as silk, tempting him to explore further. His hand slid down her milky skin, caressing her flat stomach, about to venture into the valley between her thighs. An Baili finally sat up abruptly, glaring at Lu Li. “Can’t you let a person sleep in peace?”

Lu Li flicked her forehead. “How can you sleep at your age?”

An Baili’s nose twitched. She leaned closer to Lu Li. “Did you go for a run again? You smell like sweat. Did you go alone?” Her suspicion flared up again. She was always worried that Lu Li was meeting other girls secretly, always worried that he no longer loved her. This was an unsolvable problem. Childhood trauma couldn’t be cured, not even with a thousand vows of love. It couldn’t make her as open and trusting as Wen Hupo. This was An Baili. But Lu Li had already made up his mind. If a thousand reassurances weren’t enough, he would give her ten thousand, a hundred thousand. Their lifespans might be finite, but before he entered the grave, he would hold An Baili’s hand and tell her, “I still love you.”

Lu Li kissed the girl’s cheek and said affectionately, “I ran into Wen Hupo on the way and chatted with her for a bit.”

He had been prepared to comfort An Baili, but to his surprise, she just nodded obediently. “Oh… I know, you don’t have to tell me every detail.” Lu Li was slightly taken aback. It wasn’t just him who had matured, An Baili had truly changed as well. He felt a surge of emotion, their relationship feeling more stable than ever before. Trust was the most precious thing in love, and unconditional love was the rarest thing in the world.

“I’m just a little jealous…” An Baili snuggled into Lu Li’s arms, her voice soft. “If you’re annoyed, you can just ignore me. Put me aside, and I’ll stop being jealous after a while. I’ll come find you…”

This silly girl.

“Lu Li.” An Baili rarely called him by his full name. “Don’t lie to me, why did you suddenly start jogging in the morning? Is it because of the price?”

“…Yes.” Hiding things would only lead to misunderstandings, and misunderstandings would only lead to tragedy. Lu Li said, “I don’t know what my price is, but I feel like exercising might help.”

“…Okay…” An Baili suddenly looked at him. “Lu Li, if you leave, I’ll leave with you.” The “leave” she was referring to wasn’t leaving, but “dying.”

Dying for love wasn’t a noble act, and Lu Li never liked this kind of self-sacrificing melodrama. But at this moment, he just held An Baili tightly. “Don’t worry, my price might not be that serious. Look, I haven’t encountered any difficulties, have I?”

After saying this, Lu Li paused. Had he really not encountered any difficulties?

“Mm-hmm.” An Baili nodded vigorously, as if Lu Li’s words were the gospel truth.

Today was the release day of Lu Li’s game. He had started working on it since his first year of high school, a year and a half ago. The sales of this game would determine the starting point of his career. Reputation, resources, channels, everything would be decided today.

After arriving at school, he and An Baili didn’t go to their classroom, but headed straight to the clubroom.

Lu Li chose to release his game on the Valve platform, bypassing the domestic review process in Shenzhou and saving a lot of time and effort. But there were also disadvantages. Bypassing the domestic review meant operating in a gray area, without the protection of domestic laws. Indie games faced two major enemies: game quality and piracy.

Lu Li had previously written a sincere thank-you letter to several major domestic piracy platforms in the name of “Eternal Joy Studio.” He first thanked them for their contribution to the domestic entertainment culture, then expressed his hope that they wouldn’t upload pirated copies of his game for at least a year. These platforms were mostly established by passionate game enthusiasts, and surprisingly, they were quite understanding. They sincerely promised Lu Li that there wouldn’t be any pirated copies of Eternal Joy Studio’s games on their platforms.

Lu Li didn’t actually despise piracy. If he didn’t have to worry about making a living, he would want everyone to be able to play his game. But people had to eat, and An Baili’s college tuition was still unpaid. And in the future, there would be expenses for the studio’s rent, salaries, and their other university expenses. The New Year’s money he received from the Chu family wasn’t nearly enough.

He also knew that piracy was an unstoppable force. If the big platforms didn’t have pirated copies, the smaller ones would. If the smaller ones didn’t, then there would be foreign platforms.

Silly Goose, upon hearing Lu Li’s concerns, even suggested that her father propose an “Anti-Piracy Law,” which startled Lu Li. This was his own business, and he didn’t want to be too indebted to the Chu family. If he owed them too much, he wouldn’t be able to refuse Chu Xiaodong’s requests in the future. Besides, wasn’t it a bit too much to ask her father to introduce a law just for her boyfriend’s game?

Lu Li and An Baili sat at their desks, nervously staring at the computer screen. The game was released at 7 a.m., and it was now 7:01 a.m.

The number in the “Units Sold” column jumped from zero to thirty.

The game was priced at 38 yuan. Thirty copies meant 1140 yuan, which, after deducting the platform fees, came to 1071 yuan.

These should be the automatic purchases from players who pre-ordered the game. This number wasn’t ideal.

Chu Jingyi carefully opened the door and poked her head in nervously. “Lu Li, is the game on sale yet? How many copies have you sold?”

Behind Chu Jingyi, Wen Hupo also stood with her arms crossed. She wasn’t looking into the distance like she usually did, but at Lu Li, her eyes filled with curiosity. She was also concerned about whether the game they worked on together would be well-received.

“It’s on sale.” As Lu Li answered, the number jumped from thirty to thirty-one.

Chapter 18: A Chance Encounter on a Morning Jog

Lu Li woke up at 6 a.m. for a run. He didn’t usually have the habit of jogging in the morning, but the so-called “price” still weighed heavily on his mind like a mountain. Although a little exercise might not be enough to counteract the price, doing nothing and waiting passively wasn’t his style either. The only consolation was that An Baili’s price had indeed disappeared. She no longer experienced drowsiness or coughing fits, her complexion was improving, and every night she would snuggle into his bed, clamoring to have his baby, not stopping until she was flushed and exhausted. He was, after all, a young man of seventeen or eighteen, with the stamina to handle at least twice a night and still wake up refreshed the next morning.

At first, Lu Li would use condoms, but later, with the increasing demand, he just went bareback. An Baili didn’t mind, her waist writhing like a snake. Lu Li knew she was also enjoying the most precious time of her youth.

Youth…

Speaking of youth, Lu Li thought of Silly Goose. The little girl was becoming more and more partial to him at school. She wouldn’t nag him about homework, helped him with attendance and lunch, exempted him from cleaning duties, and even allowed him to tease her a little when they were alone. She would just say shyly, “…Don’t neglect your studies…” She no longer had the commanding presence she had last year.

Their three-way relationship wasn’t public. This was Lu Li’s request. Society’s judgment of women was often filled with prejudice, and girls were usually more sensitive to public opinion than boys. To protect the two girls’ reputations, Lu Li chose to keep their relationship a secret. He didn’t mind enjoying the blessings of two lovers, but he had to consider the girls’ feelings. He wouldn’t let the girls he loved become the target of gossip before the right opportunity arose.

Moreover, to truly be with Silly Goose, his real “enemy” was her father – Chu Xiaodong. Only when he was qualified to speak with Chu Xiaodong as an equal could he confidently declare, “I want them all.”

That day might be far away, but he wouldn’t give up.

Zou Yameng also started replying to his messages, which meant she had finally found a way to slack off and was getting used to the national team’s rhythm of life. She said the training was intense, but the schedule was very regular. The coach paid special attention to the athletes’ diet and sleep quality, even forbidding them from practicing privately during their free time. She also complained that her skills were only average in the second team. She had even played against a current member of the first team and was completely crushed.

When she couldn’t sleep at night, Sister Yameng would video call Lu Li. At first, their conversations were normal. But then, one day, they started wearing less and less clothes during the calls, and their conversations became increasingly inappropriate. There was no need to elaborate on the details.

As he jogged, Lu Li entered a clean and tidy street. This was the “rich people’s district” of Chuanhai, where most of the wealthy businessmen lived. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and was about to turn back when he saw the gate of a villa open. A petite maid in a maid outfit, freckles dotting her face, walked out timidly, muttering to herself.

What era was this, were maid outfits still a thing? Not the cute, stylized maid outfits from anime, but an old-fashioned, plain brown dress from Europe.

Just as he was curious, another person walked out of the gate. It was Wen Hupo. So this was where she lived?

He always felt that Wen Hupo was like a ghost, ethereal and unreal. During club activities, she always sat alone in a corner, observing them with her light-colored eyes. Wen Hupo, like him, was someone who disliked trouble. But she was even worse than him. Not only did she find social interaction burdensome, but even making facial expressions seemed like a chore to her.

Wen Hupo also saw him. Lu Li noticed the corners of her lips curve upwards in a faint smile.

“Good morning, Outstanding Representative.” Wen Hupo curtsied, her smooth blonde hair cascading down like a golden river, her demeanor as elegant as an old-fashioned aristocrat from the last century. Lu Li felt a hint of joy in her voice. Was she happy?

“Good morning, Miss Wen Hupo.”

“Why do you always look so nervous when you talk to me, Outstanding Representative?” Wen Hupo walked beside him.

“Do I?”

Of course he did. Lu Li hadn’t realized it himself, but he would subconsciously become serious and formal when facing Wen Hupo. This was because, in his heart, the blonde girl was like a holy and distant moon. How could the perceptive Wen Hupo not notice?

“Hmm.” The girl stood on her tiptoes, a rare girlish gesture. It seemed like she was in a genuinely good mood. Did something happen that made her happy?

“Have you heard about the recent news?” Wen Hupo suddenly asked.

“What news?”

“The Shenzhou royal family is publicly recruiting a son-in-law, a Prince Consort, is that the right term?” she asked. “In our country, this is an unimaginable thing. The marriages of high-society daughters are usually decided in private gatherings. They don’t even know what their future husbands are like. We are born as tools for our families.” Wen Hupo’s voice was tinged with sadness.

Lu Li’s heart skipped a beat. “Are you engaged?”

“No.” Wen Hupo turned her head, her unfathomable eyes staring straight at Lu Li. “You’re nervous again, aren’t you?”

“I’m not.” Lu Li insisted.

He didn’t want to see his white moonlight fall into the gutters of the mortal world, didn’t want to see the bright moonlight shining on any lake in this world. It was a selfish and despicable thought, but it was his true feeling.

“But I will eventually face the same fate as them.” Wen Hupo didn’t expose Lu Li’s lie. She looked ahead wistfully. “When I become an adult, or when I leave China, I’ll have to fulfill my duty as a daughter of the Amber family.”

“You can choose not to leave, or to refuse.”

“I don’t have a home, Outstanding Representative. If I leave the Amber family, I’ll be homeless.” Wen Hupo said this indifferently and then fell silent.

No home…

Even Lu Li wouldn’t say he had no home. A home wasn’t necessarily a place, it could be a person, an atmosphere, an environment. What kind of person had no home? Didn’t she even have family to confide in?

Lu Li was speechless. He realized that he might have understood Wen Hupo’s inner world, but he never knew about her outer world.

What kind of environment did this beautiful girl grow up in that made her so detached, so indifferent, so cold?

Chapter 17: What Girlfriends Do

“Jingyi, Class Monitor, you…” Lu Li was still a bit flattered and flustered. “Are you serious?” This was a rather uninspired question. One of the most boring things a man could do was to question a girl’s feelings, making him seem both unintelligent and petty.

Silly Goose nodded slightly and mumbled, “…This way, you won’t date anyone else, right?… I’m… I’m offering myself to the tiger.” She could hear her own heartbeat, like summer thunder, churning the waters of her heart.

She stole a glance at Lu Li’s reaction. “So… so I’m your girlfriend now… right?”

“Then what about me?” An Baili asked, puffing out her cheeks.

Silly Goose, now calmer, had sorted out the cause and effect, the advantages and disadvantages, in her mind. She said gently to An Baili, “You too, Baili. Actually, actually, I’ve been thinking a lot these days, and I feel, I feel that it’s good for the three of us to be together like this, happy and carefree. I’m Lu Li’s girlfriend, and so are you, Baili. This way… no one will be unhappy… right?”

Clang.

Wen Hupo, who had been eavesdropping from the back row, dropped her paintbrush. A look of astonishment appeared on her usually impassive face. She even wondered if she was dreaming. Chu Jingyi had actually said something so outrageous. She used to think the world was just boring. After hanging out with Lu Li and the other two, she realized that the world wasn’t boring, but absurd and surreal, so surreal that an outstanding girl like Chu Jingyi was willing to share her love with someone else.

Actually, thinking about it carefully, this was something Chu Jingyi would say. As a girl who lived at the center of the world, she possessed excessive empathy and kindness. Generosity and gentleness were ingrained in her very being. She might have her little tantrums, her little moments of awkwardness, but she was never confused about the important things. She had heard the story of how Siddhartha Gautama offered his own body to a starving tigress. How did Chu Jingyi compare to the prince?

Wen Hupo picked up her paintbrush and glared at Lu Li, mentally adding another layer to his “scumbag” label. It was only because Chu Jingyi was a saint that she was willing to put up with this. Any other girl would have slapped Lu Li and walked away. At least, she would have.

After saying this, Silly Goose saw everyone staring at her in disbelief. She nervously tugged at the hem of her clothes and asked pitifully, “Is… is that not okay? Then…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Lu Li nodded repeatedly. Yi Bao, you are truly my angel.

An Baili also recovered from her shock. She snorted at Lu Li and muttered, “You’re getting a good deal. Let’s start the meeting.”

Lu Li breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t bother contacting Chen Jianing anymore. After Chu Jingyi and An Baili took their seats, he started the first club meeting.

“The first item on the agenda is to introduce ourselves and our roles in the club.” Lu Li was still feeling a bit giddy with joy, like riding a flower boat during a spring outing, surrounded by beautiful scenery and the soft voices of women. “Baili and Jingyi, you are the chief musicians of the club, equal in status.”

The title of “chief musician” made Silly Goose a little excited. She looked at Lu Li standing on the podium, her eyes sparkling. It didn’t matter what he said now, even if he started talking nonsense, this girl would cheer him on.

“Then there’s Wen Hupo, who has also joined our club as the chief artist!”

Silly Goose clapped enthusiastically. She didn’t overthink it, simply happy that Wen Hupo had joined the club. An Baili, on the other hand, pouted. “Hmph… She’s in too now…”

“Besides the three of you, I was going to introduce Chen Jianing, the girl you saw on the video call earlier. She’s a freshman at Mulan University and the planner for our club. Don’t let her messy appearance fool you, she’s actually a top student in digital game design, a very reliable person. Probably.”

An Baili raised her hand. “Mr. President, I have a question~”

“Miss An Baili, please speak.”

“Why are all the members of our club, besides you, pretty girls? Do you have some ulterior motive?”

Lu Li frowned slightly. An Baili, have you been getting too comfortable lately, daring to call me out in public?

“It’s like this. My criteria for recruiting members are based solely on their professional skills, not their gender or appearance. It just so happens that talented people are often also good-looking. This should be a good thing, not something to be questioned.” Lu Li said seriously, making Silly Goose nod along.

“That’s right, Baili.” Silly Goose immediately jumped to Lu Li’s defense. “The talented people I know are all beautiful, not just in terms of appearance, but also their confident aura.”

An Baili said angrily, “Jingyi, are you being silly? You would even help Lu Li count his money after he sells you!”

“I would never sell Jingyi. Right?” Lu Li quickly interjected.

“…Yes…” Silly Goose nodded obediently.

An Baili was about to be driven mad by Silly Goose.

Wen Hupo, hearing their conversation, couldn’t help but chuckle. She found them childish, but she was strangely amused. She still couldn’t quite understand this kind of emotion.

Lu Li cleared his throat. “Next, the second item on the agenda is to decide on the official name of our team and the release date and price of the game. I have an idea, how about ‘Perfect Games’?”

“No, that’s too cliché.” An Baili stuck out her tongue. “It sounds like the name of those cheap browser games that coal bosses love to play. How about ‘Fleeting Song Studio’? It sounds nice, right?”

“Isn’t that the name of a dating sim studio? It doesn’t fit our style.” Lu Li immediately rejected it. “Jingyi, do you have any ideas?”

“I, I don’t know.” How would she know these things? Her mind was full of Lu Li, there was no room for anything else.

“Miss Wen Hupo, do you have any suggestions?”

Wen Hupo put down her paintbrush and thought for a moment. “How about ‘Eternal Joy’? ‘Eternal joy, everlasting bliss, never forgotten.’” She was starting to like this interesting and ordinary life, hoping that this happiness would never end.

Hearing this name, An Baili’s eyes flickered, and she quickly looked at Lu Li, making him wonder, “Baili, what’s wrong?”

“No… nothing.” An Baili whispered. Actually, “Eternal Joy” was the name of Wen Hupo’s pet cat in their past life. It was a black-faced Siamese cat. Lu Li had adopted the cat, and Wen Hupo had named it – this name was buried deep in her memory, in the most painful part of her memory.

She glanced at Wen Hupo from the corner of her eye. Was she really not doing this on purpose?… Why… why would she choose this name…?

“Okay, then let’s call it ‘Eternal Joy’.” Lu Li wasn’t one to dwell on things. After deciding on the team’s name, he started discussing the details of the game’s release. But it wasn’t really a discussion, it was more like Lu Li giving instructions.

The meeting ended quickly, and the three of them prepared to return to the classroom. Just then, Silly Goose grabbed Lu Li’s shirt.

“What’s wrong?”

Even An Baili looked over.

“Um… girlfriend… what does a girlfriend do?” Silly Goose asked innocently. She was always someone who strived to be the best in her role, whether as a daughter, a class monitor, or a girlfriend. She wanted to be responsible and make everyone happy.

Seeing Chu Jingyi’s serious expression, Lu Li couldn’t help but smile. What did this girl think being in a relationship was? Following a textbook or completing a task? There was no such thing as a set of rules…

“A girlfriend gives her boyfriend kisses.” Lu Li said teasingly.

“Oh?… Okay…”

Lu Li thought Silly Goose would back down and was about to leave when he realized that she was still holding onto his shirt. His heart skipped a beat. “Jingyi, what’s wrong? Aren’t you coming?”

Chu Jingyi didn’t speak. Her clear eyes were filled with a depth of emotion and purity that made Lu Li’s heart ache.

Now, Lu Li understood what Silly Goose wanted. He took a deep breath and gently kissed her lips. He could feel Chu Jingyi tense up, then let out a cute little moan. An Baili stamped her foot. “I want a kiss too!” She squeezed herself between them, and three pairs of lips pressed together in a messy and ambiguous tangle.

Wen Hupo couldn’t focus on her painting anymore. She turned to look at the sky, thinking that this world was truly getting more and more bizarre.

Chapter 16: The First Meeting

Lu Li arranged the desks in the activity classroom, had the two girls sit on opposite sides, and then opened his laptop to connect with Chen Jianing. His serious demeanor made the girls’ eyes widen. Chu Jingyi frowned and asked, “Lu Li, we have class soon, what’s this all about?” Lu Li chuckled proudly, not answering, and turned to write on the blackboard in large characters: “Game Development Club First Meeting.”

“It’s a meeting, of course.” Speaking of meetings, they were usually quite boring. Most meetings in this world could be handled efficiently with just a few people communicating privately. But to make the process seem more democratic and fair, originally concise and efficient meetings had become increasingly bloated, with at least half of the attendees there just for show. Lu Li didn’t like meetings.

“Yay, a meeting, a meeting! I love meetings!” An Baili cheered, raising both hands. She didn’t actually like meetings, she just didn’t like classes.

“Our club has been established for six months, but the members haven’t officially met yet. And now that our game is about to be released, we need to discuss some club matters.” As Lu Li was speaking, the video call connected, and Chen Jianing’s impatient face appeared on the screen. The angle of the front-facing camera made her chin look big and her head pointy. The little tiger yelped and quickly covered the camera.

“Lu Li, what are you doing? Why are there other people? Ah… I just woke up, I haven’t even washed my face yet…”

You answered my call without even washing your face? Do you have no guard against me at all? Girls’ makeup routines were generally divided into three stages. The first was meticulous and flawless, like a beautiful butterfly, usually during the ambiguous stage of a relationship. The second was more casual, but not completely letting go, usually shortly after the relationship was established. The last was completely natural, not even caring about waking up with a bird’s nest on their head, usually for couples who had been together for a long time.

What stage was he and Chen Jianing at? He couldn’t figure it out.

“Didn’t I tell you we’re having a meeting today…?” Lu Li said innocently.

“You could have at least given me some warning, I… I…” Chen Jianing was speechless. She couldn’t say that she had answered his call without thinking, completely forgetting about the meeting.

Chu Jingyi, hearing the unfamiliar girl’s voice, felt a pang of displeasure. “Who is she, Lu Li?” Why did that girl sound so close to Lu Li? Silly Goose fidgeted with her fingers, biting her lower lip, her face clouded with gloom. Besides Baili, she didn’t want to see any other girl close to Lu Li. Even with Baili, she had been unhappy for a long time…

Chen Jianing was combing her hair. Hearing Chu Jingyi’s voice, she snorted. “Lu Li, who is she?”

An Baili whispered in Silly Goose’s ear, “A little wildcat, all claws and no purr.”

“Who are you calling a wildcat?” Lu Li finally understood why Chen Jianing always argued with her roommates. This girl was a walking firecracker.

“Whoever reacts to it is the wildcat, the one who steals other people’s boyfriends.” An Baili was afraid of Wen Hupo, but not Chen Jianing.

Chen Jianing was silent for a moment, then retorted, “Who’s stealing boyfriends? Don’t tell me there’s someone else who’s interested in Lu Li? Some people are just too possessive, overthinking and getting jealous over a single sentence.”

Was that overthinking? Silly Goose felt wronged. Even she knew that she would never have a casual video call with a male friend, let alone one early in the morning while still in her pajamas.

“Okay, okay, it’s all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.” Lu Li quickly intervened. An Baili and Chen Jianing were like fire and ice, always clashing. Even though this was the first time Chen Jianing had met Baili in this life.

He remembered when they were roommates in his past life. Whenever he wanted to spend some alone time with An Baili, Chen Jianing would always appear out of nowhere and start subtly undermining An Baili, ruining several of their anniversaries. Later, after he and An Baili got married, Chen Jianing would often visit them, acting like she was part of the family. Whenever Lu Li came home late, An Baili would suspect that he was with Chen Jianing, bombarding him with calls. An Baili had always disliked her.

The camera turned back on. Chen Jianing had smoothed her hair and changed her clothes. The girl did look quite attractive, her hair framing her face, her delicate features like those of a porcelain doll, full of spirit and charm.

The girls sized each other up through the screen. It was the little tiger who spoke first. “Is she your girlfriend?” Her voice was a bit muffled, but she deliberately raised her volume, making it sound distorted.

“Who?”

“The one on the left.” She was talking about Chu Jingyi. She wouldn’t admit that she had secretly seen Chu Jingyi before and cried herself to sleep that night.

Lu Li was about to say no, because he thought Silly Goose wouldn’t like such a sudden and possessive declaration, even though he felt that they were already very close to being “boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Yes.” Silly Goose nodded seriously.

Lu Li and An Baili looked at her in surprise.

Silly Goose’s face flushed red, but she didn’t change her answer. She held An Baili’s hand, her grip tight.

She felt a surge of competitiveness, a feeling unique to women. She didn’t want to back down at this moment. Silly Goose’s sharp empathy told her that the petite girl on the screen was her rival – a rival different from An Baili, a rival who could truly take Lu Li away from her.

Chen Jianing tilted the camera upwards, so they could only see the ceiling. “Oh.”

“Chen Jianing, I can’t see you.”

“I’m changing my clothes.” She said as an excuse.

She wasn’t changing her clothes, just putting on her socks. The soft cotton socks hugged her delicate toes. The girl’s movements were slow and deliberate. She thought about many things, her mind finally settling on that awkward kiss with Lu Li during the epidemic. The little tiger’s nose tingled. She suddenly felt a sense of emptiness. She felt empty, and Lu Li felt distant. Why was he having a meeting with his girlfriend? Why was he calling her? Was he deliberately showing off?

“I have class, I’m hanging up.” Chen Jianing abruptly ended the call, curled up in bed, and pulled the blanket over her head.

Her roommate walked past, hesitated, and then asked kindly, “Aren’t you going to class? This teacher takes attendance.”

“No.” The little tiger didn’t even lift her head.

“Remember to lock the door when you go out.”

“I won’t.”

“…”

In the activity classroom of Chuanhai No. 1 High School, Lu Li stared blankly at the words “Connection Lost” on the screen, then scratched his head awkwardly. “It seems like the timing for the meeting wasn’t ideal.” He subconsciously looked at Silly Goose, who had lowered her head shyly, unable to utter a word. She didn’t explain, didn’t defend herself, didn’t even correct him.

Chapter 15: Hupo’s Spring Festival

The third day of the third lunar month, under the spring breeze and by the willow trees. The painted bridge and fragrant grass, so delicate and green. Children of seven or eight could no longer see their breath in the cold air, and fishermen no longer had to endure the cold by the river, waiting for carp to bite. The biggest regret of winter in Chuanhai was the snow. Even the most beautiful snow scene would only last for one night, melting away almost completely by the next morning. Even the poets who loved winter had to change the titles of their poems to “Spring Verse.”

Lu Li arrived at school early, asking Chu Jingyi to supervise An Baili’s studying, while he wrapped a scarf around his neck and headed towards Building Three. The temperature fluctuated the most during the change of seasons, and it was easy to catch a cold. But Wen Hupo was still wearing her long skirt that reached her ankles, standing quietly by the window, gazing at the melting snowflakes on the pine needles.

“Your paintings are amazing.” Lu Li said, his hands in his pockets.

“Mm.” Although it was still a casual reply, Lu Li noticed that Wen Hupo puffed out her chest slightly. She must be feeling a bit proud, right? What else was hidden beneath this girl’s cold and frosty exterior?

“I’m planning to hold a club meeting this afternoon. You should join us.” Lu Li’s game was almost finished, and it was time for release. “And, this is a small gift for you.”

Lu Li handed her a snow globe, nothing special. Wen Hupo raised her delicate eyebrows slightly and said with a hint of displeasure, “Save your gifts for them.” She wanted to add that she wasn’t interested in dating and that Lu Li shouldn’t waste his time on her. But considering their collaboration, she held back those harsh words.

When a boy of the same age gave a girl a gift, it was usually out of romantic interest.

Lu Li chuckled. “It’s just a small gift for the club members. I have other gifts for Baili and Jingyi. Just take it.”

So it was just a generic club gift? Thinking this, Wen Hupo subconsciously accepted the snow globe. Her slender wrist felt its weight, and her heart sank. An inexplicable sense of disappointment washed over her. Women were like that. They didn’t appreciate something when it was easily obtainable, but yearned for it when it was out of reach. She clearly didn’t want Lu Li to give her a gift, but knowing that she wasn’t special in his eyes, she couldn’t help but feel a knot in her stomach.

She let out a soft hum, turned back to her corner, and started painting.

Wen Hupo was actually a very proud person. She was different from Chu Jingyi and An Baili. The two girls would be embarrassed and self-conscious about their shortcomings, but Wen Hupo never felt inferior about her inability to express herself. She firmly believed that her thoughts and abilities were far more noble than her physical body and disdained conforming to social norms. In Lu Li’s words, she was a woman with integrity.

She wanted to have deep and meaningful conversations, like discussing the philosophy of aesthetics or the origins of society, not about what gifts to give.

But just as she was about to speak, after carefully considering her words, she saw An Baili and Chu Jingyi walk in hand-in-hand. As they entered, Silly Goose was still chattering, “Lu Li, you skipped class again! Skipping class on the first day of school, I must punish you…” An Baili giggled. “Jingyi, how are you going to punish him?” “Punish him… punish him by not letting him touch any other girl’s hand.” Silly Goose said sullenly.

Lu Li’s attention had been on Wen Hupo’s canvas. Hearing their voices, a bright smile bloomed on his face. Before his mind could even process it, his body had already moved towards the two girls. Wen Hupo only managed to utter a “You,” before swallowing the rest of her sentence. She swore to herself that she would never initiate a conversation again.

How embarrassing. She finally decided to speak, and he just walked away. She was always the one giving others the cold shoulder, this was the first time she had been ignored. Honestly, it didn’t feel good.

She glanced at Lu Li, chatting happily between the two pretty girls, and wondered if he had ever smiled so brightly when talking to her.

She patted her cheeks lightly and took a deep breath. What’s wrong with me? Why do I keep thinking about these things? When did it start… Right, it was during the Spring Festival. Mr. Diplomat called and said he was busy with work and couldn’t celebrate the most important holiday in the East with her. She was alone in the huge villa with only a timid and cowardly maid. Just like at school, she sat by the window and painted, and just like at school, she vaguely hoped that someone familiar would walk in and talk to her. Perhaps Chu Jingyi, who would greet her politely and wish her a Happy New Year. She was truly the most adorable girl in Chuanhai. Perhaps An Baili, who would still be her timid and hesitant self. Hupo planned to hire her as a maid after she graduated. The most likely person to enter the classroom was still Lu Li, who would shamelessly come over and comment on her paintings.

She was used to being alone, but during these few months in Chuanhai, she had become afraid of this pitiful loneliness.

In the end, it was only the timid maid who entered the room. She softly reported her tasks for the day, her voice so soft that it couldn’t even reach Wen Hupo’s ears in the empty room. The firewood in the fireplace crackled, occasionally spitting out sparks. In the entire room, there was only her, and a maid who spoke in whispers.

It was at this time that she started thinking about Lu Li.

If the outstanding representative were here, perhaps it wouldn’t be so boring.

With this thought in mind, she started working seriously on the character designs for Lu Li’s game, looking forward to seeing his admiration and respect when school started.

She heard Lu Li say to An Baili, “Thanks to Wen Hupo, without her help, our game wouldn’t have been released so soon.”

She pretended to be focused on her painting, but her heart soared. She had been waiting for these words for the entire holiday, waiting for forty days in that cold and empty villa.

However, Lu Li immediately changed the subject. “Of course, your contributions are also significant. We couldn’t have done it without any of you.”

“Hehe… Then how are you going to thank Jingyi and me?”

“I, I don’t need any thanks, as long as you don’t skip class…”

“I’ll take you both out for hot pot!”

The three of them started chatting and laughing again, their praise for her fading away like footprints in the sand. Wen Hupo felt a pang of displeasure, a strange discomfort. She was a solitary observer, a thinker delving into profound thoughts, but why did she envy them so much, chatting about such silly things? Envious to the point of jealousy?

She rubbed her shoulder, which was sore from holding her arm up for so long.

What’s wrong with me?

Chapter 14: Like It Was the First Time

Chu Jingyi’s favorite animal was the teddy bear, with both “small” and “bear” crucial components. She loved the teddy bear’s clumsy and endearingly simple appearance. She couldn’t explain why, but she felt like she could see a reflection of herself in them. She used to be like a bear, “domineering” in elementary school. Back then, people would call her father every day to complain, saying, “Your daughter is bullying my son at school,” or “My daughter has been crying non-stop since she came home.” Little Chu Jingyi would listen from the side and retort angrily, “That’s not true! They were copying each other’s homework! I made them stand in the corner as punishment according to the class rules!”

Her father would always respond politely to the person on the phone, never using his status or power to pressure them. Afterwards, he would smile and rub Little Chu Jingyi’s head. “Yi Bao, rules are meant to be broken. Sometimes, you have to learn to be considerate of others. That’s how rules become truly meaningful.”

“But they were copying homework!”

“Then you don’t have to make them stand in the corner.” Her father pinched her cheek gently. “You can criticize them privately, but you can’t humiliate them in front of the entire class. That kind of shame will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”

Chu Jingyi didn’t understand the deeper meaning of her father’s words until she met Lu Li.

She walked to the doorway and watered the two potted plants, her mind filled with thoughts of Lu Li. She was glad that he was a magnanimous person and didn’t hold her mistakes against her. If… if Lu Li had really become distant, she would feel like a part of her was missing, as if she had permanently missed out on something in life.

But what was their relationship now?

Chu Jingyi wasn’t stupid. She had thought about the relationship between her, Lu Li, and An Baili more than once. She felt like she was the third wheel intruding on their relationship. This thought had made her want to run away more than once, but with An Baili’s encouragement, she chose to follow her heart, the passionate love that made her lose sleep and appetite.

The green plants drank the clear dew drops, and she heard her mother chatting with An Baili.

Baili is such a lovely girl. She thought. Her mother, Lu Li, and even herself, they all instinctively doted on her. She was different, always impulsive and aggressive. No wonder Lu Li liked Baili first…

Chu Jingyi put down the watering can and squatted by the doorway, lost in thought.

The girl’s worries drifted with the early spring breeze, a mixture of cherry blossom fragrance and the bittersweet scent of youth. For the first time, she felt uncertain about the future, for the first time she lacked confidence in herself. She felt like the hopeful and ambitious Chu Jingyi from before had died, lost in her love for Lu Li.

“It’s rare to see you so down.”

The girl looked up and saw Lu Li walking towards her, bathed in the warm spring sunlight. She wanted to call out to him, but he placed his hand on her head. “Shh, let’s surprise Baili. Silly Goose, why are you squatting here alone? What’s troubling you?”

“Well…” Chu Jingyi was a straightforward girl, she rarely kept her feelings bottled up. “Lu Li, I’m thinking, what are we going to do in the future?”

“What future?”

“After we graduate from high school. You… you’ll definitely be with another girl, right? If that happens, what about me, or Baili?” Chu Jingyi’s squatting posture was far from graceful, like a village girl waiting for her dog to come home. She must have a lot on her mind. The purer a person was, the more likely they were to accumulate negative emotions. Although their tolerance for negative emotions was high, one day, they would explode like a balloon under pressure.

Lu Li felt a pang of guilt. He put down his backpack and sat next to Silly Goose, inhaling her scent. Was it the smell of her shampoo? It didn’t matter…

“If, I mean if, you and Baili get together, I’ll definitely be heartbroken.” The silly girl stared blankly ahead. “Very, very heartbroken. But if you don’t end up with Baili, I’ll feel sorry for her, she likes you so much… Lu Li, I’m so conflicted. It feels like our future is a tragedy no matter what.”

“Then let’s just stay together, the three of us.” Lu Li said shamelessly.

“That’s not possible!”

“Why not?” Lu Li retorted. “Since any one of us leaving would hurt the other two, wouldn’t it be better for us to stay together like this, happy and carefree?”

“But, but, only two people can get married.” Chu Jingyi was taken aback by Lu Li’s idea.

“Yi Bao, will you marry me?”

Silly Goose’s face turned crimson, first her cheeks, then her small ears, a delicate, tender pink. In that brief moment, Silly Goose imagined the next few decades of her life. She imagined herself putting on an apron and cooking for him, being pregnant for ten months and telling stories to the baby in her belly, and growing old with him, holding hands and basking in the sun in the courtyard.

“I… I don’t know.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

Lu Li smiled and said, “Rules are meant to be broken.”

There it was again. Those words again. Just like her father, Silly Goose still didn’t understand the deeper meaning.

Lu Li patted the silly girl’s head and entered the house. Mrs. Chu had gone upstairs for her afternoon nap. Only An Baili was nestled on the soft sofa, watching TV. You From The Sun Season 2. Was it already on its second season?

The moment he saw An Baili, Lu Li felt all the pressure lift from his shoulders. Even after smashing the pendant, he was still worried about the price An Baili had to pay. He had asked himself countless “what ifs.” What if Baili’s price didn’t disappear? What if she never woke up? What if, what if, what if… Thank heavens, those “what ifs” remained just “what ifs.”

“Baili, I’m back.”

His soft words made An Baili jump up from the sofa. Her eyes were filled with tears as she threw herself into his arms. “I missed you so much!” Lu Li quickly hugged her tightly, afraid that she would fall.

“We’ve only been apart for two days, did you miss me that much?” Lu Li teased half-jokingly.

“But, but it felt like forever…” An Baili sobbed in his arms. “I really, really, really missed you. I can’t be apart from you for even a second, I’ll die…”

“Silly girl, are you still coughing and feeling sleepy?”

“…It seems to be gone today…” Speaking of which, An Baili realized the change in herself. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Am I cured?”

“Well, look who your husband is.”

“I want a kiss from hubby~” An Baili rubbed against Lu Li’s chin, her sweetness not like that of a long-married couple, but more like newlyweds on their honeymoon.

“Kisses are for next time.” Lu Li gently stroked An Baili’s black hair. “Let’s go somewhere fun.”

“Where?”

Lu Li took out the aquarium tickets. He bought them on his way back. After all these years, the Chuanhai Aquarium finally had real white dolphins.

“To see the dolphins.” Lu Li swung An Baili onto his back and walked towards the door as the girl squealed in surprise, just like when he carried Little An Baili to the aquarium years ago.

“I haven’t put on my shoes yet, how can I go out barefoot~” An Baili protested weakly, then乖乖地rested her head on his back. No matter how many times she experienced it, she always felt safe and secure in Lu Li’s arms.

Just then, Chu Jingyi, after finishing watering the plants, saw Lu Li carrying An Baili. She instinctively stepped aside to make way for them. To her surprise, Lu Li reached out and grabbed her arm. “Jingyi, come with us, I bought three tickets.”

“Huh?… Oh…” Silly Goose let Lu Li lead her away. She looked at An Baili, who smiled at her.

Chu Jingyi’s heart skipped a beat. A thought crossed her mind: It seems quite nice… the three of us together like this.

And so, Chu Jingyi’s peaceful holiday came to a quiet end…

1 li [ancient China] = 0.5 kilometres

Chapter 13: The Princess’s Objective

Ten li out of Shanzhu Village, and still no sign of a motorcycle. Lu Li could only walk back, his backpack weighing him down. He was no stranger to long walks. In his past life, during his early entrepreneurial days, driven by nothing but youthful passion, he once walked from Chuanhai to the border of Jiangnan province. The reason was quite ridiculous – just to save some travel expenses. In the end, he was reported by passersby as a vagrant, causing An Baili to cry and beg him to come back.

After walking for a while, Lu Li suddenly heard the roar of an engine approaching. A dirty white van appeared in the distance. He couldn’t see what was inside, but the van was speeding towards him, showing no signs of slowing down. This brought back some unpleasant memories from his past life. A business rival had once hired someone to run him and Chen Jianing over. Luckily, Lu Li reacted quickly and shielded Chen Jianing with his own body, taking the brunt of the impact. The driver, however, lost his nerve at the last moment and slammed on the brakes. Lu Li narrowly escaped death. Later, he learned that during his hospitalization, Chen Jianing hadn’t slept a wink. She seemed to have even argued with An Baili. She stayed by his side day and night, tending to his every need. If he moved his lips, she would offer him water. If he shifted in bed, she would help him to the bathroom. Lu Li had wondered more than once if Chen Jianing had fallen in love with him.

“Don’t flatter yourself, I have someone I like,” she had replied.

The memory faded as the grayish-white van stopped beside him. Two burly men jumped out, grabbed a black hood, and pulled it over Lu Li’s head. He reacted quickly, but he was no match for the two men. After a brief struggle, his vision went black, and he was carried into the van by one of them.

“Hey, do I have some kind of grudge against you guys?” Lu Li felt like the hood was drugged. His consciousness was fading.

“I’m a woman!” the burly man barked.

What the… So it’s a female bodybuilder? Lu Li thought nonsensically before losing consciousness.

When he woke up again, he felt the air stuffy, his nostrils plugged as if with a cork. His body swayed, as if he were in a moving vehicle. The seat behind him was soft, and he was flanked by solid muscle on both sides.

“…bottom, didn’t find it.” The man on his left had a surprisingly high-pitched voice. No, not a man, a woman. Both of these muscular giants were women.

Bottom? What bottom? Her Majesty’s? Lu Li’s mind wandered.

Just then, a melodious female voice came from his front, seductive and smoky, like a sultry woman exhaling a cloud of smoke, or a nine-tailed fox from Qingqiu. “Where’s your necklace?”

The moment he heard this voice, Lu Li knew who had kidnapped him. But the hood was still over his head, and he couldn’t see her expression or guess her motive.

Zhu Xi.

Necklace. Lu Li had only ever worn one necklace, the thing Mei Jinliu called the “Rebirth Crystal.”

What did Zhu Xi want with the pendant?

Lu Li remained silent, playing dead. Zhu Xi also fell silent. The stuffy and hot air circulated in the confined space. The two women held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

“Tell me where the necklace is, and you can go.” Zhu Xi, after all, was still young. She was the first to break the silence, revealing her objective and bottom line. Hearing this, Lu Li knew he wasn’t in danger today, as long as he didn’t do anything stupid like revealing her identity.

“I don’t have a necklace.”

“Let’s not waste time on the question of whether you have it or not.” Zhu Xi said coldly. “Let’s get straight to the point. First, where did you get that necklace?”

From An Baili, or rather, from Mei Jinliu. But either name would eventually lead back to An Baili.

“I found it in Shanzhu Village.”

Shanzhu Village… a completely unfamiliar name, yet it felt like she had heard it somewhere before. In the corner of her memory, the words “Shanzhu Village” seemed to be lurking, waiting for this moment to surface, making Zhu Xi restless. She asked impatiently, “Was there anything special about that necklace?”

“…No, it was just an ordinary necklace.”

“Then where is it?!” By now, Zhu Xi was clearly agitated. Her face was close to Lu Li’s, and they breathed in each other’s warm breath. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the Fourteenth Princess’s breath had a faint sweetness, the unique scent of a young woman. But maybe not. After all, poisonous things were often beautiful and sweet.

“I lost it. I lost it in Shanzhu Village.” Lu Li remained calm. He knew he had to give her an answer to divert her attention. Although he didn’t know what Zhu Xi wanted with the Rebirth Crystal, he had a feeling it wasn’t for anything good.

Hearing this answer, Zhu Xi gradually calmed down. She whispered, “Make him sleep… find a place… to dispose of him… The Chu family will…” The rest of her words were inaudible. Lu Li lost consciousness again.

When he woke up again, he was on a bus back to Chuanhai. He sat in the last row, still groggy. His memories slowly returned. He vaguely remembered Zhu Xi heading towards Shanzhu Village with her men. What was she planning to do?

Could there be someone else in this world who knew the secret of rebirth, besides him, An Baili, and Mei Jinliu?

No… impossible. Even if there was, it couldn’t be Zhu Xi.

She must have had some reason to look for the pendant. But what could be so important that a royal princess would risk her reputation to kidnap someone? And kidnap Lu Li, a guest of the Chu family, no less?

She must know something… something deeper.

A chill ran down Lu Li’s spine. He didn’t want to have anything to do with Zhu Xi. History had proven that those who tried to get close to her all met tragic ends, including her own siblings.

As Lu Li was thinking, he received a rare text message. It was rare because it was from someone who almost never initiated contact: Wen Hupo.

“The character designs are finished.” The blonde girl wrote.

“Dig.” Zhu Xi stood on a grave mound with her arms crossed, ordering the two muscular women to excavate the tombs one by one. But there weren’t any bodies in these earthen mounds. The people who had died here seemed to have vanished into thin air.

“Your Highness, look at this.” One of the female bodyguards suddenly picked up a sparkling fragment from the ground. The fragment shimmered with blue and purple light under the sun, its glow otherworldly.

Zhu Xi’s eyes lit up. “We found it!”

Chapter 12: All Things Must Pass

Time slowed down, so much so that Lu Li could clearly see the cobwebs in the corner being lifted by the wind. It was as if the world had undergone a tremendous change, or maybe it was just his imagination. The shuffling sound from deep within the old Mei residence disappeared completely, never to be heard again. The wooden handle of the hammer in his hand began to decay and crumble, like a melting biscuit. The curse that had plagued this village seemed to have been broken the moment Lu Li swung the hammer, severed silently and completely.

He didn’t know why he and An Baili were reborn.

He didn’t know what the consequences would be if he, as a reborn person, smashed the pendant.

He didn’t even know how Mei Jinliu obtained the pendant in the first place.

There were still too many unknowns in this world, mysteries so numerous that they formed a vast and boundless ocean, and humans were merely travelers adrift on a lone boat. If he were to cower in fear of the unknown and choose self-preservation, what would be the difference between him and Mei Jinliu? He had a stronger mentality than Baili, was more decisive, and had more information. It was best for him to bear the price.

Lu Li picked up the scattered crystal fragments from the ground. They were cold to the touch, their texture ordinary. If you threw them into a toy market, no one would notice anything special about them. According to Mei Jinliu, the pendant would restore itself the next day. So Lu Li gathered the fragments, found a shovel behind the old house, and buried them next to Mei Jinliu’s grave. Let it remain buried forever in this forgotten village.

After doing all this, Lu Li received a message from Chu Jingyi. She said that Baili had woken up and was clamoring for a video call with him. Silly Goose, being soft-hearted, agreed.

Lu Li instinctively wanted to fix his hair, to present his best self to An Baili. But he noticed that his hands were covered in dirt from digging. He suddenly remembered what the old village head had said: when facing Mei Jinliu, the young men would always nervously fix their hair with their muddy hands… Everything seemed to be a cycle, comedy and tragedy alternating. Lu Li couldn’t help but wonder if, in the distant past, there was someone like Mei Jinliu who had also used the Rebirth Crystal.

“Dear…” An Baili’s pretty face appeared on the phone screen. She subconsciously wanted to call him “honey,” but noticing Silly Goose sitting cross-legged beside her with a silly grin, she changed her words. “Lu Li, Lu Li, let me tell you, I just had the strangest dream!”

The desire to share was an expression of love. The more you loved someone, the more eager you were to share your feelings with them, from the random thoughts triggered by a fallen leaf on the road to the confusion and helplessness caused by life’s unexpected turns.

“What did you dream about?”

“I dreamed, I dreamed that I had met you a long, long, long time ago!” An Baili’s eyes sparkled with happiness. “It must be fate! I dreamed that I met you when I was little, but it didn’t feel like a dream… Anyway, anyway…”

An Baili’s words caught in her throat, turning into a soft and sweet whisper. “Anyway, come back soon, I… Jingyi and I miss you.”

What was happiness? Happiness was cats eating fish, dogs eating meat, Ultraman fighting monsters. Happiness was spending every day peacefully with them.

“Yes, I’ll be back today.” Lu Li didn’t even realize how bright his smile was.

The matter was resolved… for now. There was no need to stay in Shanzhu Village any longer. Lu Li planned to thank the old village head before leaving. He had a feeling that this village was full of danger before the pendant was destroyed, and it was probably Village Head Gong and Zhaocai who had been protecting him. On his way back, the village seemed to have changed again. The waist-high weeds had grown even taller and wilder, swallowing the paths. Small animals appeared among the once-silent weeds, adding a touch of desolation and vitality.

When he reached Village Head Gong’s courtyard, Lu Li felt that the old house seemed much dimmer. Less than half of the tiles on the roof remained, and the courtyard was covered with fallen leaves, as if no one had lived there for years. He saw Zhaocai lying in front of the closed door, but it no longer seemed like the lively young dog from before. Its fur was messy and unkempt, its eyes cloudy, its age showing. It was an old dog now.

Seeing Lu Li, a faint light flickered in Zhaocai’s eyes. It slowly stood up and limped towards him, licking his shoes as it had done before.

“…Village Head Gong…” Lu Li called out, but there was no response.

A rusty padlock hung on the door, a clear sign that the house had been abandoned for a long time, perhaps five years, perhaps ten?

Was this the price?

Lu Li was silent for a long time.

“Zhaocai, how many years have you been waiting here?”

The clever old dog didn’t bark in response this time, because its voice was gone. It could only circle around Lu Li weakly, like a human reminiscing about an old friend. Perhaps it would soon return to its fate as well. Lu Li sadly patted Zhaocai’s head. It was this yellow dog that had scared away those children who were chasing him when they first met. It was also this dog that guarded the house at night, allowing Lu Li to hear its barking in that “dream”…

“Zhaocai, want to come with me?”

The old dog walked towards the gate, then lay down with difficulty, its head resting on the ground, its dim and cloudy eyes staring at the earth.

Just this morning, it was still chasing a piece of meat excitedly… Lu Li saw not only Zhaocai, but also the relentless passage of time, the tragic fate.

“Village Head Gong, sir, I’m leaving, thank you!” Lu Li called out. It was clear that he wouldn’t receive any response. The path back was peaceful. Sparrows flew among the trees by the roadside. The trees that had been blown down by the wind had somehow returned to their original positions, as if everything before had been an illusion.

During that short day and night in Shanzhu Village, Lu Li felt like he had experienced a long dream, a bizarre and absurd encounter that was both long and fleeting. He looked back at the quiet, deserted village of Shanzhu. Once upon a time, tanned men worked in the fields, women sifted soybeans with sieves, the old village head strolled around with Zhaocai, a hand-rolled cigarette dangling from his lips, and innocent young boys and girls chased after the bus, exchanging jokes. Now? What was left? Countless graves, rows of empty houses, and a homeless old dog.

Compared to time and fate, Mei Jinliu was actually merciful. The good times were gone, the years passed like storms.

Truly, time was the most merciless of razors, wielded alternately by the sun and the moon, scraping across the uneven earth, layer after layer, harvesting the sick, the elderly, even those taken by early death. Leaving behind only barren longing and a lonely, lingering sorrow.

Lu Li finally sighed and turned to leave, leaving behind a thousand emotions in this bitter land.

Chapter 11: Unfair Heavens

After tearing up the diary, Lu Li sat on a rock by the field, gazing at the vast expanse before him. He saw the distant mountains, the birds circling in the sky, the wind rustling through the withered trees, the ocean, the snow-capped mountains, little An Baili walking home dejectedly with a dolphin balloon, and the grown-up An Baili crying and begging him not to leave. It turned out that everything was predestined, their fates intertwined in a closed loop.

Now, Lu Li knew how to save An Baili. But what should he do? Should he transfer the price to innocent people like Mei Jinliu did?

Whenever he felt conflicted, Lu Li liked to talk to Chu Jingyi or Wen Hupo. The former brought him joy and comfort, while the latter helped him clear his mind. He had helped Wen Hupo register her WeChat account. He opened the app, looked at her default profile picture of blue sky and white clouds, and after hesitating for a long time, he clicked on Chu Jingyi’s chat window.

[Lu Li: Good morning.]

Chu Jingyi replied quickly.

[Silly Goose: It’s not morning anymore! Look at the time!]

Her tone reminded Lu Li of the times at school when the Class Monitor would scold him for skipping class with her hands on her hips. If they were alone, Lu Li would sneakily wrap his arms around her slender waist. He just had to lean in a little, and Silly Goose would blush furiously, pressing her lips together and saying, half-pleading, half-demanding, “Don’t kiss me.”

Of course, he couldn’t kiss her. She and An Baili had made a pact, no dating before graduation. She would definitely keep her promise, and he believed Baili would too…

[Lu Li: Yi Bao, I need your advice on something, okay?]

It was embarrassing, an old man like him asking a naive little girl for advice.

[Silly Goose: Huh? How would I know something you don’t?]

[Lu Li: Yi Bao, have you ever done something wrong?]

[Silly Goose: Of course. I was very mean to you in my first year… I still regret it, I’m sorry, Lu Li… #tears]

Looking at the emoji Silly Goose sent, Lu Li couldn’t help but smile. This silly girl, still feeling guilty about that? He was the one who should be feeling guilty now.

[Lu Li: Yi Bao, listen, what if, I mean what if, you had to do something wrong for someone very important to you, would you do it?]

The girl was silent for a long time.

[Silly Goose: Isn’t there a way to have the best of both worlds?]

[Lu Li: No.]

[Silly Goose: What would happen if I didn’t do it?]

[Lu Li: Then that very important person would disappear from your world forever.]

[Silly Goose: Do you hate me, Lu Li? I’m sorry… Did I do something wrong to make you hate me… Please don’t say that…]

Lu Li chuckled. A girl’s heart was so delicate. She actually thought he was angry with her. This silly girl’s first reaction was to apologize. Perhaps he had underestimated his importance in Silly Goose’s heart.

[Lu Li: Silly, I’m not angry with you.]

[Silly Goose: …Can I choose not to choose?… If it were me, I would rather disappear, so no one has to be in a difficult position.]

That was a typical Chu Jingyi answer. This girl was so pure, so innocent. Spoiled children and those who lacked love had one thing in common: they both liked to sacrifice themselves. The former sacrificed for themselves, the latter for others. Unfortunately, there was no such thing as having the best of both worlds.

[Lu Li: Yi Bao, is Baili awake yet? Can I talk to her?]

[Silly Goose: No, she’s sleeping soundly. I tried to wake her up, but I couldn’t. She must be exhausted. Let her rest.]

She couldn’t be woken up no matter how hard she tried? It seemed like her symptoms were getting worse… Lu Li asked Silly Goose to take a picture of An Baili sleeping and send it to him, trying to sound casual. Soon, Chu Jingyi sent him a picture. An Baili was lying on her side, her long eyelashes casting butterfly-like shadows on her fair skin. Lu Li thought An Baili had the most beautiful eyebrows in the world. Whenever she smiled, her eyebrows would furrow slightly, like a bird spreading its wings. Perhaps this girl had made mistakes, had been selfish, but Lu Li had never truly hated her. Even during those difficult days after his rebirth, he always had a soft spot for her in his heart.

To err is human. From An Baili, Lu Li had learned forgiveness. This was their love.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll cling to you if you’re so nice to me?”

“I want to be with you, until the end of the world.”

“I want you to love me again.”

“Never leave me, okay?”

“Honey, I missed you so much~”

“I won’t go… I won’t go… I’ll never leave… Waaah…”

Scenes of his time with An Baili flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern. Her every smile, every frown, every joy, every anger, was vividly etched in his memory.

Was there anyone who could compare to An Baili? Every girl was unique and precious in his heart, an irreplaceable treasure. But An Baili was a diamond in the rough, entrusting herself entirely to him, letting him shape and mold her. In that case, did he even have a choice?

“Is this the only solution to the price?” Lu Li looked at the sky with a wry smile. “Is this Baili’s price, or mine?”

He ended the conversation with Chu Jingyi. After thinking for a moment, he sent a message to Sister Yameng: “Sis, I miss you.”

Sister Yameng didn’t reply. She had just joined the second team and probably didn’t dare to slack off yet.

He called Chen Jianing. The little tiger answered immediately, her voice sharp. “What? I have class soon, why are you calling?”

“Did you receive the gift?” After receiving the New Year’s money from the Chu family, Lu Li sent a gift to the little tiger as an apology. It was a punching doll with his face on it. If you flicked its head, it would wobble back and forth like a boxer who had just taken a hit.

“Hmph. What a lousy gift, trying to apologize with a cheap toy? No way.” The little tiger snorted. “Anything else? If not, hang up, I have class.”

“Okay, you hang up then.”

“I won’t. Too lazy to move my finger.” Chen Jianing said.

“Do you hate me?”

“I hate you to death. Taking advantage of the situation last time and stealing my, my first kiss.” Her voice became muffled towards the end.

“I don’t hate you. Bye.” Lu Li hung up before the little tiger could respond.

Finally, he sent a message to Wen Hupo: “Are you busy?”

Wen Hupo replied with a picture: “Busy working for the outstanding representative.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Mm.” A casual and indifferent reply. He couldn’t tell what the girl was really thinking.

Turning off his phone, Lu Li felt a burden lift from his shoulders. He got up and walked towards the old Mei residence, passing through the tombstones that represented time and sorrow. The shuffling sound still came from deep within the house, but this time, Lu Li wasn’t scared, only filled with pity. What price did that villager have to bear?

A hammer, covered in cobwebs, leaned against the wall. Mei Jinliu must have left it behind, right? The hammer that earned twenty-five yuan per swing? The hammer that caused irreversible consequences?

He took off the pendant, tossed it on the floor, and then calmly picked up the hammer. Images flashed through his mind: Mei Jinliu’s selfishness and madness, the despair hidden beneath Village Head Gong’s calmness, An Baili clutching her chest and coughing painfully, and the impoverished people in the low-rent district, barely clothed.

There was no such thing as love or hate in this world, it was all just self-inflicted torment.

“Fuck you, God!”

The hammer fell, shattering the pendant. Crystalline fragments scattered everywhere like a sudden downpour. The young man’s eyes were calm and deep as a lake. If An Baili had to pay a price, then he would bear it for her. Even if it meant a double price, he wouldn’t hesitate.