Classmate Li Zhuangsheng doesn’t want to be reborn

Hu Mengdie nodded, then shook her head.

"I heard from Jiang Qing that I'm not happy with him." Hu Mengdie pursed her lips, her eyes filled with confusion. "But today, when he talked about the past, I felt quite happy..."

"Do you think Sister Jiang Qing is lying?" Hu Mengke asked with a slight smile.

Hu Mengdie shook her head instinctively: "No, no, no, that's not what I meant..."

Hu Mengke pursed her lips: "Maybe it's because she wants to save your marriage with your brother-in-law, so she said that on purpose?"

"I've thought so too... but it's also possible that Qi Haoyu and I got along well at first, but then things didn't go well, so we broke up."

"Maybe so, I don't really know either. You rarely tell me about your relationship. I don't know Qi Haoyu very well either; I've only met him formally once. I remember it was shortly after you graduated from university, when you went to work in Nanjing, and I went to visit you. He treated me to dinner then. That was the only time I met him formally. Not long after, you broke up, and you came back to the county town."

"Hmm...that's it."

Hu Mengdie nodded. She was five years older than Hu Mengke. When she started dating Qi Haoyu, he was still in elementary school, so it was normal for him not to tell her about his relationship.

Even she herself never imagined that she would fall in love in high school, and that she would "fiercely" rebel against her parents' authority, and even succeed in the fight.

"What did I do after I came back?" Hu Mengdie asked. "I only heard from Jiang Qing that I had a very miserable first two years..."

“I didn’t do much, just stayed at home and didn’t go anywhere.” Hu Mengke smiled. “However, you do occasionally teach children to dance.”

"So that's why I started a dance class."

"Yes, sister, you're so pretty. You could make a lot of money by filming promotional videos for dance classes and teaching kids to dance."

Hu Mengdie smiled somewhat shyly: "It seems like, there aren't that many..."

She checked her account balance and found she had practically no money left.

"After all, you can't work every day!"

“Hmm…” Hu Mengdie nodded, seemingly uninterested in this past. “So I only met 'him' two years ago, during a blind date?”

"You mean your brother-in-law?" Hu Mengke tilted her head. "Yes, Jiang Qing should have told you, right? You did meet your brother-in-law two years ago. At that time, you were like you were under a spell. You had met many men before and never felt anything, but after meeting your brother-in-law, you quickly got together with him. You dated for a little over a year before getting engaged, and then got married in less than two years."

"Wow, that's fast..." Hu Mengdie couldn't help but say.

Although she already knew, hearing Hu Mengke say the timeline again still made her sigh slightly. She had been with Qi Haoyu for six years but still couldn't be together, yet she married Li Zhuangsheng in less than two years.

She couldn't help but think back to those teen romance movies she had watched before, in which the female protagonists never married the man from the beginning.

Hu Mengke lowered her eyes, seemingly trying to hide the peculiar emotions beneath her grinning lips: "Yes, because your brother-in-law treats you very well. He's such a good man."

Hu Mengdie remained silent. After spending some time with him, albeit not in a deep connection, she knew that Li Zhuangsheng was indeed a very good person. But it seemed that he was just a good person.

Did she really love him? Hu Mengdie suddenly wondered.

The female protagonists in movies all seem to end up marrying men who are well-off and treat them well, but is that really what they truly desire? Is that the kind of love they want? Or rather, is that the kind of love they actually want?
It's just a compromise with reality and my parents. But how do I explain those photos of myself? They really look happy. Well, he's my husband after all; there are bound to be feelings involved.

Hu Mengdie had a headache: "No matter what, we're divorced now..."

Hu Mengke smiled slightly and said, "The decision is in your hands, sister. If you don't want a divorce, you can choose not to."

"It wasn't me who suggested it..."

"But you can refuse."

Hu Mengdie was silent for a moment, then clenched her fist and shook her head: "What's there to refuse... I couldn't be happier!"

Hu Mengke smiled, still smiling: "But sister, there are really a lot of girls who like brother-in-law, aren't you afraid they'll pounce on you?"

Hu Mengdie didn't seem to care, only chuckled helplessly, "You've said that so many times already. Let him pounce, anyone can pounce on him!"

Aren't you angry?

"Why would I be angry? If someone really likes him, just go after him! I promise I won't be angry!"

Hu Mengke's grin widened: "Okay, I was wrong. I'll never mention this again."

Hu Mengdie just smiled, thinking that Li Zhuangsheng was devoted to me, and even if someone wanted to steal him away, they wouldn't be able to for a while... Of course, I didn't care. I wished Li Zhuangsheng would find true love soon, but I still felt a little sorry for the girls who liked him.

But does anyone really like Li Zhuangsheng? I wonder what they see in this shut-in otaku?

A short while later, Xie Jiangqing came in. The three chatted for a few minutes, and then Hu Mengdie went to take a shower.

"About you and Li Zhuangsheng..." Xie Jiangqing's tone was enigmatic, "Be careful, don't let your sister find out."

"It's alright, my sister's mind is elsewhere right now."

"Qi Haoyu?" Xie Jiangqing frowned. "What did she say to you?"

"It's nothing, you don't need to worry."

"Won't she secretly go to see him in the future?!"

"Who knows? But don't worry, Sister Jiang Qing. My sister Hu Mengdie is different from me. She is a virtuous and upright person and will not be easily taken advantage of."

Xie Jiangqing's eyes flickered slightly; what she said wasn't wrong. Hu Mengdie and Qi Haoyu had been dating for so long, yet she had never given herself to him. He had told her since high school that her first time must be after marriage. Hu Mengdie herself had extremely stubborn principles, one could even say she was headstrong.

Of course, strictly speaking, Hu Mengdie did not strictly adhere to that vow, as she gave herself to Li Zhuangsheng after their engagement. However, given their relationship and the fact that it happened after the engagement, it cannot be entirely considered that Hu Mengdie broke her vow.

Although Xie Jiangqing always felt that Hu Mengdie's act of pretending not to be a virgin was very abstract... The other party not only asked her to keep it a secret, but also enthusiastically suggested to her that if the two of them had a fierce argument in the future, Xie Jiangqing must use this reason to scold Li Zhuangsheng and make him give in.

Hu Mengdie grinned, saying that the other person's expression would definitely be priceless... She didn't know which third-rate romance novel she'd picked up this idea from, but it was definitely no longer relevant. (End of Chapter)