Classmate Li Zhuangsheng doesn’t want to be reborn

Leaving Hu Mengke's room, Hu Mengdie felt inexplicably heavy-hearted.

Unexpectedly, all these things that touched her heart were given to her by Li Zhuangsheng. He was indeed very good to her... no, it was his future self who was truly very good to her.

Hu Mengdie touched the hair clip on her head and suddenly remembered the birthday gift Xie Jiangqing received from her mother when she was ten years old.

It was also a butterfly hair clip. Although it was a gift from Xie Jiangqing, she really liked it.

Although she couldn't say for sure whether she liked the hair clip, the butterfly shape, or the gift Xie Jiangqing's mother gave her.

Hu Mengdie's parents also gave her birthday gifts, but none of them were to her liking. They never asked Hu Mengdie what she liked, even though some of the gifts were quite expensive, such as a BBK learning machine costing thousands of yuan.

Hu Mengdie didn't like those things. She liked Xie Jiangqing's butterfly hair clip and also liked that Xie Jiangqing's parents would give her things she truly liked.

The more she liked it, the more she wanted it, to the point that Hu Mengdie even had the terrifying thought of "stealing" the hair clip. Of course, in the end, Hu Mengdie did nothing.

She simply kept that feeling buried in her heart as always, but even after five or six years, she still hadn't forgotten it. Until, to her surprise, she found the butterfly hair clip in her dressing table drawer.

It's more exquisite, more beautiful, like a work of art. You could even say that Xie Jiangqing's hair clip is completely incomparable to it… But, so this was a gift from Li Zhuangsheng?
Why did he give this gift? Was it just a coincidence?

Back in her bedroom, Hu Mengdie gently removed her hair clip and stared at it, lost in thought.

That's a really pretty hair clip.

Jingle bells
A few crisp sounds suddenly rang out in the room, and Hu Mengdie snapped back to reality. It was the wind chimes hanging on the balcony. She had opened the window to ventilate the room this morning and hadn't closed it when she came back.

Another tinkling sound rang out, and Hu Mengdie suddenly remembered the bizarre dream she had the night before starting junior high school. She dreamt of her sixth-grade teachers and classmates, the azure sky and the crowded classroom, and the tinkling of wind chimes.

Jingle bells
Hu Mengdie was jolted awake from her bizarre memories. She got up, went to the balcony, and closed the window.

She put down the hair clip, bit her lip lightly, took a deep breath, got up and walked to the outside of the study, then knocked on the door.

"From now on, you can just come in directly, no need to knock..."

Li Zhuangsheng opened the door with a smile and immediately took Hu Mengdie's hand.

"Ah..." Hu Mengdie exclaimed softly, instinctively taking a step back.

"Ah... I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..." Li Zhuangsheng realized he had grabbed the wrong person and quickly pulled away from the other person's hand, apologizing repeatedly, "I, I didn't mean to, I thought you were..."

"You think I'm your sister?"

Hu Mengdie touched her hand, and seeing that Li Zhuangsheng meant no harm, she calmed down.

“Ah, yes, yes…” Li Zhuangsheng nodded vigorously.

I thought it was your sister... Li Xiuyu never knocks when she comes to my room.

"By the way, what did you want to see me about?"

Li Zhuangsheng coughed lightly.

"It's nothing, it's just..." Hu Mengdie licked her lips, "I just feel that it's not right for me to keep living here with you... I was thinking of paying you rent!"

"Pay rent?" Li Zhuangsheng blinked and quickly waved his hand, "No need, no need! This is, after all, our house before we lost our memories. You can stay here as long as you want, you don't need to pay rent!"

"But, after all, well, it was your family that bought it..."

"It was bought for my wedding. You, you are, after all, the lady of the house... Ah, I didn't mean anything by it, I just felt that rent was unnecessary!"

Hu Mengdie insisted repeatedly: "No, I still want it!"

Li Zhuangsheng scratched his head, quite annoyed, but seeing that the other party wouldn't give up until they got what they wanted, he hesitated for a long time before saying, "Actually, I think you don't need to give it... but if you insist on giving it, then, then, 1300 a year will do." Hu Mengdie was taken aback, then burst out laughing, like a spring flower blooming, like the bright moon shining: "What do you mean by 1300? Are you trying to get me to pay for boarding school?"

Li Zhuangsheng smiled sheepishly, explaining that Xingpeng's boarding fee was 1,300 yuan.

The reason the two who didn't live on campus knew this so clearly was because that damned Xingpeng would force them to pay this fee. The gist of it was that everyone had to live on campus, but after paying the fee, you could choose to commute. What a beast!

"I... I don't know either, I don't know how much to charge... I think you should just not pay!"

"I definitely have to pay the rent. If you don't know how, you can search it online." Hu Mengdie coughed lightly and patted Li Zhuangsheng's shoulder. "Find out the details first, and I'll come back to ask you in a couple of days. I don't have much money right now, but I'll pay your rent as soon as I get my salary this month!"

Li Zhuangsheng nodded helplessly, then found it somewhat amusing, thinking to himself, "Use my money to pay my rent... never mind, I'll think about it for now."

"Then it's settled!" Hu Mengdie smiled again and was about to leave.

"Ahem, you look quite handsome when you smile. You should smile more often in the future..." Li Zhuangsheng couldn't help but cough lightly.

"Um...I will, thank you!"

Hu Mengdie smiled, looking just like she did in high school.

It seems she's in a really good mood, and can finally speak... Actually, Li Zhuangsheng wasn't in a hurry, but he felt that not speaking up would be a bit unfair to Hu Mengke, with whom he had been secretly seeing each other.

Even though he knew that even if he divorced Hu Mengdie, it wouldn't be easy for him to be open and honest with Hu Mengke in the short term.

But it still has to be done eventually.

"Hu Mengdie just came looking for you?" Li Xiuyu suddenly appeared.

"Ugh, for some reason, she insists on paying my rent..."

"Then let her pay!" Li Xiuyu's face lit up with joy.

Li Zhuangsheng, annoyed, didn't respond: "Hey, by the way, do you wear perfume now?"

Li Xiuyu shook his head: "No need, although I have a lot of perfume there."

"How come you have so much perfume if you don't use it?"

"It was a gift from someone. Hmm, I'll probably sell it on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace) in a while!"

Li Zhuangsheng scratched his head: "Okay..."

……

Back in her bedroom, Hu Mengdie lay back on the bed and let out a soft sigh. Li Zhuangsheng was truly a good person; this impression was reinforced within her.

After lying silently for a long time, Hu Mengdie slowly got up, opened the bedside table drawer, and took out the photos inside.

The thumbtack board was empty; all the original photos had been removed by Hu Mengdie. Having arrived here, Hu Mengdie was much calmer and didn't tear up the photos again, simply putting them in a drawer.

But then she suddenly realized that she had never looked at these photos carefully before.

Logically speaking, this should also be part of her life.

She looked through them one by one; most were photos of the two of them together, and a few were individual shots of her. Some photos were very clear, while others had a retro, blurry quality, as if they were taken with an instant camera.

In every single photo, she's smiling, looking so happy. (End of Chapter)