Classmate Li Zhuangsheng doesn’t want to be reborn

"Who's afraid?" Li Zhuangsheng glared. "Don't lie. What do I have to be afraid of? It's only natural to bring back a souvenir after going to Nanjing. Besides, I didn't even manage to give it to him."

"Of course, it's such a small matter, I just feel there's absolutely no need to tell Hu Mengdie!" Li Zhuangsheng stubbornly insisted.

"Oh~ Is that so?" Li Xiuyu raised an eyebrow and drawled, "I thought it was because you slept with Hu Mengke, um..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Zhuangsheng quickly covered Li Xiuyu's mouth.

"Keep your voice down!"

It's not just the two of us in this house. If you shout so loudly, what if Hu Mengdie hears you?

“You have a clear conscience, so what are you afraid of?” Li Xiuyu laughed.

"I...I..." Li Zhuangsheng's face turned red with embarrassment. He stammered for a long time, then lowered his head dejectedly and became honest. "I know I was wrong."

Li Xiuyu gave a soft snort and crossed her legs: "So, what are your thoughts on her now?"

Li Zhuangsheng feigned ignorance: "Who?"

“Hu Mengke.” Li Xiuyu said expressionlessly.

“I…” Li Zhuangsheng scratched his head in frustration, his eyes revealing a pained expression. “I, I don’t know! I really don’t know… I, what I did with her was wrong! We shouldn’t have done that!”

Li Xiuyu's voice was indifferent: "But you do like her a little, don't you?"

Li Zhuangsheng remained silent for a long time before nodding with difficulty.

"Because she's pretty, because she slept with you, because she likes you." Li Xiuyu's lips curled into a condescending sneer, like the final verdict in a courtroom.

Li Zhuangsheng fell silent again, biting his lip and not uttering a word.

Li Xiuyu was right, but Li Zhuangsheng knew that such feelings should not exist and were against human ethics... In any case, he and Hu Mengdie were still husband and wife in terms of status.

But he had already crossed the line. What's worse, he actually felt great about it and even secretly looked forward to the next time.

Damn it, how could I have such a thought!
“You must be pretty chuunibyou right now.” Li Xiuyu chuckled again, raising an eyebrow. “In the anime you often watch, aren’t there often storylines where older and younger sisters like the same person? That’s pretty common in your anime world, right? I thought you’d get used to it.”

"How could anyone possibly get used to this?!" Li Zhuangsheng couldn't help but complain.

Although the "sister donburi" plot is very common in anime, it is a popular and recurring theme in the story where one of the heroines has a sister, and the two sisters fight over the male lead.

Li Xiuyu's tone became increasingly mocking: "Look, he married a wife who's as beautiful as an angel, and his stunning sister-in-law sneaks into his bed at night. Brother-in-law, don't open your eyes, I'm your sister~ Isn't this just like a scene from an anime?"

“Where is the anime/manga style…” Li Zhuangsheng’s lips twitched slightly.

Suddenly, I realized that my current situation seems quite like a two-dimensional setting. After all, I woke up to find myself married to the school beauty, and I also have a sister-in-law whose looks are no less than my wife's, who is "drooling" over me.

But he never realized that he had anything in common with the male protagonist of the anime, and he had never thought about it in the past few days.

After all, this isn't anime at all. Anime is a beautiful fantasy world, while he's facing a trashy game called "reality."

Katsuragi Keima is absolutely right!
"You think you're not good enough?" Li Xiuyu suddenly said. "I really don't understand you anime fans. You're indulging in chuunibyou fantasies all day long, but at the same time you feel like you're not good enough for anime!"

"Whose anime is like this..." Li Zhuangsheng muttered timidly, as if he were talking about something shameful.

Li Xiuyu took a deep breath and raised his head: "So, what are your plans for the future?"

Li Zhuangsheng scratched his head: "First, let's write the novel. There are people in the reader group urging me to update all day long."

Are you sure you can write it?

"I think I should be able to. I feel my writing skills are just average, quite easy to imitate." Li Zhuangsheng coughed lightly. "Actually, I've been looking at the previous content a bit these past few days. As long as I find the outline left behind..."

“There is no outline,” Li Xiuyu said.

"What did you say?" Li Zhuangsheng was taken aback.

“You never have an outline when you write your novels, you just write them blindly.” Li Xiuyu looked Li Zhuangsheng up and down. “Moreover, it seems that your brains have some special structure. Sometimes you will forget what you wrote in the previous chapter as soon as you finish writing the first one. As far as I know, you often go to the reader group to ask about the novel settings you wrote before.”

Li Zhuangsheng gasped. This was too absurd. Could this be a sign of Alzheimer's disease?

“Um…” Li Zhuangsheng blinked, “That works too. I’ll look at the previous content and then make up the rest myself!”

"You're quite confident!"

Li Xiuyu nodded, seemingly sensing the ending, but didn't say anything more at the moment.

"Hey, it's not like I'm being asked to write a sequel to some famous novel!"

Li Zhuangsheng was filled with ambition, thinking to himself that he was going to become the second Jin Yong of Jiangnan. Writing a sequel to a light novel would be a piece of cake for him!
Consider this book a small test of my abilities; my next book will definitely be an immortal masterpiece!

"Besides writing novels, what else?" Li Xiuyu asked again.

"Going to work... Sigh, I never thought I'd end up clocking in at a job that has no dreams or passion? But I don't have much experience, it'll probably be tough..."

"Oh no, although there aren't many opportunities for advancement in your workplace, it's very easy to just lie down and do nothing. Besides, even an elementary school student could do your job. So don't worry about work."

Li Zhuangsheng tilted his head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

The two looked at each other; Li Zhuangsheng looked at Li Xiuyu, and Li Xiuyu looked at Li Zhuangsheng.

"...And then?" Li Xiuyu was the first to break the silence.

"What then?"

"What happened between you, Hu Mengdie, and your sister-in-law!"

Li Xiuyu gritted his teeth. "You little brat, are you deliberately beating around the bush?"
"...I don't know...what should I do?" "How can I say that? According to your parents, you should hurry up and try to win your wife back, and get back together with her as soon as possible!"

Li Xiuyu smiled mockingly, his eyes full of schadenfreude.

She knew it was impossible. As long as Li Zhuangsheng remained Li Zhuangsheng and Hu Mengdie remained Hu Mengdie, it was absolutely impossible.

Sure enough, a troubled and distressed look appeared on Li Zhuangsheng's face.

"This...this isn't quite right," Li Zhuangsheng forced a smile awkwardly.

"What's wrong?" Li Xiuyu raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance.

"You're making things difficult for people!" Li Zhuangsheng straightened his expression. "I believe that people should live freely!"

"Well said!" Li Xiuyu clapped. "But you're already married, right? Marriage means taking responsibility, right? You're a husband now, and as a husband, your main task should be to win back your wife's heart and make your family happy! As for the story with your sister-in-law before, it was an accident. Just don't repeat the same mistake!"

Li Zhuangsheng subconsciously shook his head, but when he opened his mouth, he didn't know what to say in rebuttal. Every word Li Xiuyu said was right, absolutely correct, so correct that he agreed with every single one of her words.

But he resisted, instinctively resisted, this perfectly correct path.

Actually, Li Xiuyu's words weren't entirely reasonable, and Li Zhuangsheng could refute them. It's just that there were some things he couldn't bring himself to say.

"Um... I'm not very good at pursuing girls," Li Zhuangsheng said, blushing.

The idea of ​​"chasing girls" is indeed too advanced for him. Although people with chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) are often arrogant and conceited, they are generally considered to be "the strongest kings". When facing the opposite sex, their level is not even as good as bronze.

Several months ago, Li Zhuangsheng helped Hu Mengdie pick up her homework, but he couldn't utter a single word for a long time. He was so embarrassed by the close proximity that he fled in embarrassment.

A guy like him, let alone actively pursuing girls, would have his heart pounding in his chest if he and Hu Mengdie were alone together and he talked to her for even a few words.

Of course, at this moment, this is just the most useless and unimportant excuse.

"So that's what you were worried about." Li Xiuyu laughed, patting his chest. "It's okay, you can't do it but I can. I'll be your wingman, I guarantee you can win your sister-in-law's heart!"

Li Zhuangsheng felt a slight pang in his heart.

"I think it's still not quite right..." Li Zhuangsheng stammered, still refusing. "I think this isn't good, um, this isn't good!"

"You mean, because you think you're bad at pursuing women, you're planning to abandon your wife and children and shirk your responsibilities?"

Li Xiuyu pressed on relentlessly, his tone growing increasingly sharp, as if he were interrogating her.

"No, that's not the case..."

Li Zhuangsheng murmured, his heart feeling as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer. He felt as if he was about to drown, and instinctively wanted to struggle, but he felt as if he had been soaking in warm water for too long and had no strength left to struggle.

"So, what are you really thinking?"

Li Xiuyu questioned Li Zhuangsheng's heart without a trace of pity.

"I, I..." Li Zhuangsheng's cheeks burned, his eyes reddened, as if he had been forced to the edge of a cliff. Finally, he gritted his teeth and let out a low roar, "Hey, please don't do this! At least ask the person involved for their opinion!"

"Aren't you the person involved? I'm asking for your opinion right now. All I see is you shirking your responsibilities and obligations!"

"Why are you talking about me!" Li Zhuangsheng's face turned even redder, his voice filled with shame and indignation. "You, you saw it too, she doesn't like me, she likes her Qi-gege! Why force me to pursue her? Am I just humiliating myself? Don't you think that's being a villain? Can't you respect her personal wishes? Can't you stop using marriage to blackmail her?"

He practically roared those words, his face flushed red. Even in front of Li Xiuyu, he felt extremely ashamed.

Li Zhuangsheng felt like he was one of those villains often seen in movies and TV shows, lusting after the female lead's body, using despicable methods to threaten her, kidnap her, or even defile her... and then waiting to be defeated by the protagonist.

This kind of clown is destined to be tied to the pillar of shame, hated and despised by all the audience.

Hu Mengdie is not his two-dimensional heroine, nor is he her protagonist.

But at least, he didn't want to be the villain, the clown he himself hated.

He knew very well that Hu Mengdie didn't like him; he had seen it all along. The whole Zhuangzi's dream of a butterfly was nothing but a pointless coincidence.

He felt ashamed, but not resentful. Why would such a beautiful woman like him, someone utterly useless? What good qualities did he have?
Being a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur) isn't a sign of mental illness; even those with chuunibyou can calm down when faced with reality. He couldn't understand why Hu Mengdie liked him. She and Brother Qi were a perfect match, a match made in heaven. What was he doing, acting like a cuckold?

Since Hu Mengdie doesn't like him, he only wants to save face. It's best if everyone knows the truth; there's no point in saying it out loud. It's so shameful to admit that his wife likes another man and that he's a useless husband—it makes him want to disappear into the ground!
After Li Zhuangsheng finished shouting, Li Xiuyu fell silent. After a long while, he slowly spoke:
"Hu Mengdie might not like Qi Haoyu that much now... That video was from when we graduated from high school. They weren't dating then, right? I remember they got together in the second semester of their junior year... They seemed to have been dating for many years, but in the end, Hu Mengdie married you because she really liked you. What if you regain your memories later and she likes you again?"

“I don’t know. I only know that she is in a lot of pain right now. And does marrying me necessarily mean she likes me? Is there no possibility that she was forced by her parents or something else?” Li Zhuangsheng bit his lip. “I think my memory may never be restored. Even if it is restored in the future, we’ll talk about that later… Most importantly, it’s wrong to force someone.”

Why did Hu Mengdie marry me? Maybe I caught her using some leverage against her and she secretly blackmailed her!
"Is this what you're thinking?" Li Xiuyu stood up and gently hugged Li Zhuangsheng. "Okay, I understand. I support your thoughts and all your future decisions. I'm glad you told me."

Li Xiuyu understood Li Zhuangsheng's thoughts, but she wanted to hear him say it himself.

She actually understood everything, including Li Zhuangsheng's strange state before he lost his memory.

She felt a pang of regret, because she had a vague idea of ​​what was going on. However, since she could tell that Li Zhuangsheng didn't want to reveal it for the time being, she didn't press him or intervene in time. She could only let Li Zhuangsheng struggle with his worries alone, which may have indirectly led to Li Zhuangsheng's amnesia.

So this time, she didn't want to see Li Zhuangsheng suffer from inner turmoil again.

Therefore, even if it means facing the most embarrassing and awkward situation, we must let Li Zhuangsheng release his pent-up anger.

Only in this way can Li Zhuangsheng move forward with a clear conscience and without any inner turmoil.

“I understand. If they don’t want what’s ours, we don’t want it either. It’s no use what anyone says.”

Li Xiuyu nuzzled Li Zhuangsheng's head and whispered.

(End of this chapter)