Classmate Li Zhuangsheng doesn’t want to be reborn

A drop of water hit Li Zhuangsheng's face, and Li Zhuangsheng slowly opened his eyes.

Dim sunlight seeped into the room little by little through the gaps in the bamboo blinds. In this dim silence, Hu Mengke's face appeared before Li Zhuangsheng's eyes.

Only then did he come to his senses; what was falling on his face wasn't water, but Hu Mengke's tears.

"What happened to you?"

Li Zhuangsheng was startled and subconsciously reached out to touch Hu Mengke's cheek.

The texture feels so real, this isn't a dream.

"It's nothing, it's nothing..." Hu Mengke hurriedly wiped her eyes and forced a smile. "You're awake. Do you want me to turn on the light for you?"

"Open it, why are you crying?" Li Zhuangsheng asked.

"The rock sugar pear stew is done and it's kept warm in the pot. Let me serve it to you."

"...Okay, then I'll get up."

"No need, wait for me!"

Hu Mengke turned and went out of the house. A little while later, she brought out a bowl of rock sugar pear soup, which also contained white fungus and a few goji berries.

“Come on, open your mouth.” Hu Mengke held up a spoon.

“I’m all better now, I can drink it myself!” Li Zhuangsheng’s face flushed, and he quickly reached out to take the bowl.

After the IV drip was finished, he felt much better. He slept all afternoon and felt very energetic. Apart from some back pain, he had no other discomfort.

"Stop fooling around, okay? Be good."

Hu Mengke gave him a slight reproach, and Li Zhuangsheng immediately became shy and obedient.

"I can actually handle it myself..."

Li Zhuangsheng muttered to himself, as if it were a last and futile struggle, "forced" to accept Hu Mengke's gentle feeding.

"Is it tasty?"

Hu Mengke put down her spoon, holding the empty bowl in her hand, and smiled gently.

"Delicious, delicious!" Li Zhuang nodded vigorously.

Actually, he didn't taste anything at all; he just thought it smelled wonderful—his hair smelled wonderful, his clothes smelled wonderful, and he smelled wonderful too.

"Hehe, I know you don't like sweets very much, so I didn't put in much sugar." Hu Mengke smiled shyly again. "I'll go get you another bowl!"

"No, no, I'm not hungry!"

Li Zhuangsheng quickly stopped him, his face flushed red, feeling extremely uncomfortable. He was really not used to being served like this, especially by such a beautiful older sister! Although she was actually his younger sister-in-law.

"Then if you want some later, just help yourself. There's still plenty left in the pot."

Hu Mengke smiled, took the bowl and spoon out, and then returned to the study. She sat on the edge of the bed, quietly watching Li Zhuangsheng.

“What about… Li Xiuyu?” Li Zhuangsheng asked.

“She went home and said she’d be back tonight,” Hu Mengke shook her head.

"Going home" here probably means going back to one's parents' home.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

After a moment of silence, Li Zhuangsheng turned his face away somewhat awkwardly.

He thought to himself, "Hu Mengke even knows I don't like eating too much sweets, how thoughtful of her. And it seems she likes me... But this isn't right. No matter what, she's still nominally my sister-in-law. Besides, my in-laws have been so good to me; I can't let them down again!"

Most importantly, after talking with Li Xiuyu, Li Zhuangsheng understood very well that he couldn't give Hu Mengke a promise or happiness. Since that was the case, he couldn't continue to torment her!

Hu Mengke bit her lip, tears falling again, her voice low and somber: "I heard..." Li Zhuangsheng was startled: "Don't cry, what did you hear?"

"You slept on the floor last night... I'm sorry."

Hu Mengke sobbed and threw herself into Li Zhuangsheng's arms.

"No need to apologize, no need to apologize, it's not your fault!"

Li Zhuangsheng's heart skipped a beat. Faced with Hu Mengke's crying, he panicked and didn't know what to do. He dared not and could not bear to push Hu Mengke away, nor could he dare not and could not hold her.

"On behalf of my sister, I apologize to you." Hu Mengke raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Li Zhuangsheng shook his head vigorously, his heart softening. He said urgently, "It's really nothing, it's really nothing... I did it voluntarily. She didn't make me sleep on the floor; she made me sleep on the table. I wanted to sleep on the floor myself!"

"You idiot..." Hu Mengke gently pinched Li Zhuangsheng's face and said in a sweet voice, "Don't do that again, you know? It really hurts my heart!"

"Okay, okay!" Li Zhuangsheng didn't care about anything else and readily agreed, nodding vigorously.

Hu Mengke slowly stopped crying: "Brother-in-law, you're so silly."

"You're not stupid... I just feel..."

"I love your silly side." Hu Mengke gently kissed Li Zhuangsheng on the lips.

Li Zhuangsheng was completely mesmerized by the sweet kiss, but his remaining consciousness made him murmur, "I, we, I can't do this..."

Hu Mengke bit her lip lightly: "Brother-in-law, do you remember what I told you? I was bullied since I was a child, and no one helped me. Even those who approached me had ulterior motives..."

"Were you being bullied?"

“Yes, you might not know, but during my summer vacation in fifth grade, I played a minor villain in a tokusatsu drama… After that, I was constantly bullied, talked about behind my back, and slandered. People spread rumors that I slept with the director…” Hu Mengke sobbed softly, “No one helped me. My parents didn’t understand me at all. They bullied me for several years, and I did terribly on my high school entrance exam…”

"Oh, I see. Don't cry anymore..."

Li Zhuangsheng felt a pang of pity and thought to himself, "No wonder Hu Mengke, who seems like such a nice girl, would go to a vocational school."

Although he has never experienced school bullying, such plots occasionally appear in anime, and he often hears about school bullies harassing people, so he understands what bullying is all about.

"They're really going too far, making up bad things about me... Am I really such a bad girl?"

"It's not your fault!" Li Zhuangsheng finally couldn't help but hug Hu Mengke, trying his best to comfort her. "You are the victim, you don't need to blame yourself at all!"

"I'm sorry, brother-in-law... These past few days, that man has been trying to force me to get back together with him. You know, he's a scumbag. I was young and fooled by him, and I really regret it. I don't want to go back to him at all. He even abuses me. I have absolutely no feelings for him..."

“Then don’t go back, just stay here!” Li Zhuangsheng said quickly.

Hu Mengke shook her head, a resolute look on her face: "I can't continue to cause trouble for you and my sister, but brother-in-law, I'm already yours. Don't worry, I'd rather die than let another man touch me!"

Li Zhuangsheng was shocked and panicked: "Don't do anything rash! I really don't think you're a burden!"

Hu Mengke gave a bitter laugh, her eyelids lowered: "I know you're just gently comforting me. Actually, you despise me, and I'm well aware of that... That night, you treated me like an older sister, right? Heh, if only I were the one you married... But for me, that was just a beautiful dream that left me disappointed."

Li Zhuangsheng was so anxious he didn't know what to do, wishing he could tear his heart out: "No, no! I didn't despise you! I, I..."

"Brother-in-law, I know I'm not good enough for you, I've always known!" Hu Mengke pressed her lips tightly together, tears streaming down her face. "I never imagined I could replace my sister, and I never dared to imagine that you could love me... I only have one small request..."

"You say, you say..."

"I don't want any title, I don't want your love." Hu Mengke trembled, her eyes growing increasingly timid. "But will I still be able to love you in the future?"

"Of course..."

Before he could finish speaking, and before Li Zhuangsheng could reveal his feelings, soft, sweet lips pressed against his. The kiss was so tender and passionate that it made him lose his senses and could no longer restrain himself.

Li Zhuangsheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart, as if he possessed boundless energy. Hu Mengke's tenderness enveloped all of that energy. (End of Chapter)