Classmate Li Zhuangsheng doesn’t want to be reborn

Qin Luanyu grumbled in dissatisfaction, but still didn't continue teasing him. One must take things one step at a time; there's still a long road ahead.

Li Zhuangsheng awkwardly pretended to be carsick for a long time before finally calming down.

The two got out of the car, and many people by the lake looked at them with surprise.

"They must all think I'm some kind of rich guy now, haha!"

Li Zhuangsheng laughed inexplicably, but there was no sense of pride in his laughter; it was as if he simply felt it was the right thing to say at this moment.

Qin Luanyu's gaze was deep and unfathomable: "Do you want to be a rich person?"

"Of course I want to! I dream about it all the time! Who doesn't want to be rich!"

"I can tell you clearly don't really want to."

"How can you so easily smear someone's innocence? If you want me to be rich, I'll let you live in a big villa every day!"

"You like living in big villas?"

"I just want a detached house, small like in anime, anything too big feels empty!"

"My family lives in a big villa, but I plan to buy a smaller one after I get married."

Li Zhuangsheng gave a thumbs up: "Great minds think alike... but I can only think about it, haha!"

Qin Luanyu glanced sideways, clicked her tongue slightly, and said nothing more.

“You’re familiar with this place, show me around!” Qin Luanyu said, linking her arm with Li Zhuangsheng’s.

"What are you doing?" Li Zhuangsheng was slightly startled.

Qin Luanyu was taken aback, and a sad expression immediately appeared on her face: "They won't let me carry it... I thought we were as close as siblings!"

Li Zhuangsheng was also taken aback, then quickly shook his head: "No, no, I just didn't realize it..."

Qin Luanyu sighed, "Oh, that's good... then I won't have to get a refund for being a minor, sob sob..."

"Your sibling affection is far too weak!"

Li Zhuangsheng couldn't help but complain, and Qin Luanyu laughed heartily, holding him even tighter.

The two walked along the lakeside, the azure water shimmering in the sunlight, like golden brocade embroidered on azure silk.

"This lake is indeed very beautiful." Qin Luanyu stretched and clicked her tongue, "More beautiful than West Lake."

"I remember the last time I came here was during the second semester of my first year of high school when we were divided into classes. We had a half-day off that day, and Li Xiuyu and I came here to play," Li Zhuangsheng said, admiring the beautiful scenery.

"Is it okay to swim here?" Qin Luanyu asked.

"No, no, no!" Li Zhuangsheng shook his head hurriedly, his voice low. "During the summer vacation, I heard that someone from our school drowned while swimming here."

"Haha, I was just joking, don't take it seriously!"

“When I went home for dinner a while ago, my parents told me that around New Year’s Day, a woman came here and jumped into the lake…”

"Ah...that's it."

"But don't worry... she was rescued later, haha, it seems there were police patrolling at the time!"

"That's good, it's a blessing in disguise!"

The two strolled around the lake, and Li Zhuangsheng then led Qin Luanyu to visit a pavilion halfway up the mountain, where they gazed at the lake.

"The lake hasn't changed much; it's just as beautiful as it was ten years ago," Li Zhuangsheng remarked.

Qin Luanyu raised an eyebrow: "I thought you'd say it's not as good-looking as it was ten years ago!" Li Zhuangsheng looked closely, then frowned and recalled the comparison, shaking his head: "No, I don't think so!"

"Seeing such a beautiful lake, I suddenly thought of a poem. Can you guess what it is?"

"How should I know..."

"So, now that you've come here, has any poetry come to mind?"

"The west wind ages the waves of Dongting Lake, and overnight, the Xiang River Goddess's hair turns white. Drunk, she knows not if the sky is reflected in the water, her boat full of sweet dreams pressing down on the Milky Way."

Just as Li Zhuangsheng was about to speak, Qin Luanyu unexpectedly spoke in unison with him.

“I’ve thought of something,” Qin Luanyu said with a smile. “What do you think? When it gets a little warmer, we could get a covered boat or a bamboo raft and come here for a nighttime boat ride? I know someone who knows how to build boats. We can secretly bring it over at night.”

"Good good!"

Li Zhuangsheng was both surprised and delighted, nodding vigorously. This was also his long-held, childish fantasy; it must be incredibly exhilarating!
Qin Luanyu smiled slightly. "Little brat, you think I can't handle you?"
The two strolled and chatted by the lake, finding themselves quite compatible. They talked about everything from poetry and history to chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur) philosophy. Li Zhuangsheng felt as if they had known each other for a long time, realizing that there really is such a thing as meeting an old friend at first sight!
Suddenly, Li Zhuangsheng's phone rang.

……

"Huh?" Li Xiuyu tilted his head.

"Really!" Xie Jiangqing said awkwardly, turning her face away.

Since parting ways with Li Zhuangsheng, she drove home alone, crying. She stayed home for a long time, but she couldn't help but go to Li's house again.

I'm not complaining, I'm just worried about Li Zhuangsheng's safety. A woman suddenly appeared driving a Ferrari, who knows if she's a bad person! What if she tries to trick Li Zhuangsheng into going to Gayaozi in northern Myanmar!
"You said a woman driving a Ferrari came looking for Li Zhuangsheng?" Li Xiuyu repeated, "A Ferrari?"

“Yes, it’s a Ferrari!” Xie Jiangqing’s voice was tinged with jealousy. “I suspect she rented it, but she said it belonged to her friend!”

Li Xiuyu still didn't understand: "...Weren't you going to meet his readers?"

Xie Jiangqing stamped her foot: "That's right, that woman is one of his readers!"

"You mean, a female reader drove up in a Ferrari to visit him today?"

"Not just today, that woman came before New Year's Day too!"

"Before New Year's Day... Oh, I see."

Li Xiuyu narrowed her eyes, then chuckled. That day, Li Zhuangsheng slept at home, and she smelled another woman's scent on him, but she didn't think much of it at the time, assuming Hu Mengdie had changed her perfume. Surely it couldn't be that Li Zhuangsheng was cheating on her, could it?
"Let me tell you, this woman is definitely up to no good!" Xie Jiangqing said bitterly, biting her lip. "She's definitely plotting something! Who would drive a Ferrari here for tourism? And carry their ID card and student ID with them..."

"It's normal to carry your ID card, isn't it?"

"She not only brought her ID card, but also her property ownership certificate and medical examination report. If it weren't for the fact that you don't need a household registration book to get married now, she wouldn't have left out the household registration book either!"

"Huh?" Li Xiuyu tilted his head again, speechless for a moment.

Xie Jiangqing gritted her teeth: "Are you going to do anything about this or not? I'm telling you, this woman is absolutely, positively suspicious! She came in with flowers and proposed to Li Zhuangsheng right away! If you don't do anything about it, he might get tricked into going to northern Myanmar tomorrow, don't blame me! Humph, I'll tell Meng Ke later that her man is seeing another woman, and she's got long legs!"

Li Xiuyu frowned: "Calm down first... Where did you guys go this afternoon?"

"How should I know? I came back right then and there!"

"You said that woman has a problem, so why did you come back?"

"What am I supposed to do if I don't come back? Where am I supposed to sit? They're driving Ferraris! Convertibles! They only have two seats!"

Xie Jiangqing felt increasingly aggrieved as she spoke, her voice filled with both bitterness and anger.

"Okay, I'll give him a call." Li Xiuyu, still full of doubts, dialed Li Zhuangsheng's cell phone. (End of Chapter)