I Don’t Want to Be Reborn With You v2c28

Vol 2 Chapter 28: Lu Li’s Birthday (Part 2)

An Baili watched Chu Jingyi’s retreating figure and nudged Lu Li lightly. “Why are you bullying Jingyi? Her expression made my heart ache. You’re so mean.”

I wasn’t deliberately bullying her. Lu Li defended himself in his mind. He opened the gift box Chu Jingyi had given him. As expected, it was a brand new notebook, along with a fountain pen. It wasn’t expensive, just a thirty-yuan pen from the student supermarket. Lu Li felt a little disappointed, not because he disliked the cheap gift, but because he had hoped that the Class Monitor would give him something different. A pen and a notebook, anyone could give those as birthday gifts. It was a very insincere gift.

The disappointment only lasted for a moment. Lu Li didn’t dwell on it, assuming that Silly Goose was just bad at expressing herself.

“Happy birthday, dear.” An Baili said with a smile. “I didn’t prepare a gift, can I owe you one?”

“Sure.” It didn’t really matter whether An Baili gave him a gift or not. Reconciling with her was already the best gift. Soon, the Class Monitor returned to her seat after checking attendance. She looked a little listless, as if she had something on her mind. Lu Li glanced at her, but decided to hold back his questions. Suppressing curiosity was one of the ways for a man to maintain his charm, and it was an art to not pry into everything.

An Baili, on the other hand, had no such reservations. She pulled the Class Monitor aside and started whispering girl talk. “Jingyi, why did it take you so long?”

Chu Jingyi was someone who couldn’t keep secrets. “I, I went to see the homeroom teacher, to… to ask to change seats.”

Lu Li’s ears perked up.

“It’s not that I don’t want to be your deskmate anymore, but… but I can’t see the blackboard clearly from the back, it’s not very convenient.” Chu Jingyi explained again, afraid that An Baili would misunderstand. “Even if I sit in the front, I can still come and play with you, with you two after class.”

An Baili felt a mix of emotions and simply replied with an “oh.” On the one hand, she did want to have more alone time with Lu Li. On the other hand, she also liked Chu Jingyi, this pure girl. The other girl’s current state reminded her of her past self. When she saw Lu Li getting closer and closer to Wen Hupo, she felt the same way.

It was jealousy. The timid her would show her jealousy, she would act up and make a fuss. On the other hand, the generous Chu Jingyi would withdraw into a corner like a hedgehog when she was jealous. An Baili knew this kind of girl’s thoughts all too well. She glanced at Lu Li, who was eavesdropping with his ears perked up, and pinched his back hard. “It’s all your fault.”

“What?”

“Nothing!”

The day’s classes ended quickly. Chu Jingyi left early. Usually, she was the last to leave the classroom, locking the door, checking the hygiene, and wiping the blackboard. Lu Li called out to Silly Goose a few times, but she walked away as if she hadn’t heard him.

Chu Jingyi walked to the school gate with her backpack on her back, and only then did she remember that she had forgotten her umbrella. But with something weighing on her mind, the girl was reluctant to turn back. She was worried that if she turned back, she would see Lu Li and An Baili being lovey-dovey again. This girl originally didn’t have a real understanding of the concept of boyfriend and girlfriend. She thought it was just going to school and eating together, wasn’t that the same as usual? But this morning, when she saw Lu Li taking care of An Baili so meticulously, Silly Goose felt something fermenting in her heart, like a moldy cabinet on a rainy day, or a jar of pickled cucumbers that had been knocked over in the kitchen. That indescribable feeling lingered in her heart, unforgettable.

This wasn’t just friendship… Even someone as clumsy as her finally realized this. Good friends wouldn’t feel sad.

Then what kind of relationship was it?

Silly Goose didn’t walk in the direction of home, but wandered aimlessly on the commercial street outside the school. There were young couples walking hand in hand everywhere, chatting and laughing, while she was alone and forlorn. It started to drizzle, and Silly Goose found a restaurant and crouched under the eaves at the entrance to avoid the rain, looking extremely pitiful. She didn’t want to go home, and she didn’t want to go back to school to get her umbrella. She just wanted to walk around, anywhere, as long as she didn’t see Lu Li.

A young couple holding an umbrella passed by her. The girl said to her boyfriend unhappily, “You still say you don’t like her? You even bought her egg tarts, I want some too!”

“Don’t be silly, I just treat her like a little sister. Why are you always jealous?”

“If I didn’t like you, who would be jealous?”

The couple walked away, but their words still lingered in Silly Goose’s mind. Just as she was lost in thought, a figure appeared in front of her. “Silly girl, you forgot your umbrella.”

Lu Li stood in front of her, holding an umbrella, smiling casually. He handed her the beautiful blue umbrella with a wave pattern, but Chu Jingyi didn’t immediately take it. Instead, she turned her head to look at the person behind Lu Li. “…Where’s Baili?”

“She had something to do and went home first.”

“Why are you here too?”

“Silly girl, I’ve been following you. Why did you run to the commercial street instead of going home? And you’re squatting at the entrance of a store, the owner has been looking at you.”

Chu Jingyi blushed. “I just wanted to clear my head.”

Lu Li pulled Silly Goose up. “Come celebrate my birthday with me.”

This time, she didn’t refuse. “Okay.”

Chu Jingyi wanted to open the second umbrella, but Lu Li stopped her. “One umbrella is enough. You hold the umbrella too low and keep poking my neck.” Chu Jingyi obediently huddled under Lu Li’s black, broken umbrella. After a long time, she hesitantly said, “Lu Li, do you think I’m sick?”

“What kind of sick?”

“Do you think I like you?” This question was very abrupt, and Lu Li couldn’t help but look down at Chu Jingyi, who was only as tall as his shoulders. The girl looked at him blankly, her eyes as clear as the autumn sky, dazed and infatuated. Did she even understand what liking someone meant?

A fine rain as soft as butter falls on Heavenly Street, the grass seems near yet far when viewed from afar. This is the best time of spring, surpassing even the willows and flowers filling the capital.

The light rain fell on the tiles, pitter-patter, drop by drop. It was already late autumn, but Lu Li felt that the scenery in front of him was even more beautiful than the early spring when everything sprouted.

“Why do you say that?”

“I feel like I’m sick. I don’t want to see you, and I don’t want to see Baili. You’re both my good friends, my important friends. But why do I feel this way? Is this jealousy? Lu Li, is this what jealousy feels like?” Her confused expression made Lu Li’s heart ache. “Shouldn’t I feel this way… I’m sorry, I’ve never felt this way before, I, I don’t know what to do to feel better. Lu Li, can you tell me the answer?”

The answer? Lu Li remained silent for a long time, wandering in the drizzle with Chu Jingyi. Perhaps Chu Jingyi already had the answer in her heart, so why did she ask?

Lu Li slowly opened his mouth, letting the wind carry away his words. Chu Jingyi listened intently, speechless.

***

At five o’clock in the afternoon, Lu Li returned to the low-rent district. He immediately saw a roughly cut A4 paper stuck to his door with a large left arrow drawn on it. Was it someone’s prank? His sister wasn’t back yet, so it could only be a prank, right? Lu Li followed the direction of the arrow and saw that the door of the apartment next door was ajar, as if a new tenant had moved in.

A realization dawned on Lu Li. He remembered the clanging sound he heard from next door early in the morning and An Baili’s late arrival today. Was she moving in this morning?

Lu Li knocked gently on the neighbor’s door. “Hello, is anyone there?”

There was no response. Lu Li hesitated for a moment, then slowly pushed the door open. He felt like this was one of An Baili’s tricks. After pushing the door open, he entered a clean living room. A note was stuck on the right side, which read: “Please close the door after you enter (((o(ﾟ▽ﾟ)o)))♡”. It was indeed An Baili’s handwriting. What was she up to? Lu Li closed the door and continued walking deeper into the apartment, following the arrows on the wall to the bedroom. His expression gradually became more and more interesting.

There was a huge gift box in the bedroom, so big that it could fit an entire An Baili inside.

“Baili, what are you doing?”

The gift box moved, and suddenly the lid was pushed open. An Baili poked her head out. “You already guessed it was me, there’s no surprise at all.” An Baili had even dressed up specially. Not only that, but she also had a large ribbon tied on her head.

“Happy birthday, Li! This is my birthday present for you~”

An Baili jumped out of the gift box, with a hint of shyness, a hint of joy, and a hint of anticipation. Lu Li only then noticed that An Baili was almost naked. Her jade-white body shimmered under the light, a few red ribbons barely covering her key parts. An Baili awkwardly shielded her body. “I’m still not used to this… Did you close the door properly?”

A young woman’s body was always youthful and beautiful. It was a little different from the An Baili he remembered, more youthful, more tender, and more alluring. Her waist was like a willow branch, her skin as white as jade. Upwards, two rabbits greeted the moon, and downwards, a landscape of hills and valleys. Her skin flushed a charming pink from shyness, her cheeks rosy, like a drunken imperial concubine. Lu Li couldn’t help but stare.

Seemingly satisfied with Lu Li‘s reaction, An Baili became bolder. She gently untied the ribbons wrapped around her body, revealing her nakedness underneath. No, it wasn’t completely accurate to say she was naked. She had three band-aids strategically placed, but the third one was starting to peel off due to moisture. An Baili blushed, suppressing her shyness. “Li, when are you going to unwrap this gift?”