Classmate Li Zhuangsheng doesn’t want to be reborn

Li Zhuangsheng helped Xie Jiangqing carry her suitcase and bag home.

Xie Jiangqing wasn't shy at all. She took out the key to the master bedroom, opened it in front of everyone, and went inside.

"You're back." Li Xiuyu lay on the sofa watching TV.

"Have you had dinner yet?" Li Zhuangsheng asked.

"Not yet, I'm not hungry right now. Let's order takeout if we get hungry," Li Xiuyu said lazily. "Hu Mengke said she wasn't feeling well, so we didn't ask her to cook. We thought you guys would eat out and then come back."

"Then let's go out to eat," Li Zhuangsheng suggested with a smile, without giving it much thought.

Qin Luanyu and Li Xiuyu had no objections. A short while later, Xie Jiangqing walked out of the bedroom with a strange expression.

“You probably haven’t had dinner either, right? We’re planning to go out to eat. Shall we invite Hu Mengdie?” Li Zhuangsheng pointed towards the master bedroom.

“She won’t go even if I call her.” Xie Jiangqing shook her head, but then changed her mind, “Never mind, I’ll go ask her.”

Li Zhuangsheng nodded, then found Hu Mengke and invited her to go out for dinner together.

Hu Mengke remained listless, looking world-weary, with only a blank melancholy in her eyes.

"Brother-in-law, you guys go ahead and eat, it's alright," Hu Mengke said softly.

“But…” Li Zhuangsheng hesitated.

"You guys go out to eat, don't worry about me. My stomach hurts a bit, so I won't go out. Just bring me some food when you're done eating," Hu Mengke said with a smile.

"Okay, we'll be back soon."

At this moment, Xie Jiangqing also brought news that Hu Mengdie was unwilling to go out. Li Zhuangsheng hesitated for a moment, then decided to follow the majority and go out to eat with Li Xiuyu and the other two.

The four of them went to a restaurant near the neighborhood. After spending three days together, Li Zhuangsheng knew that Qin Luanyu didn't mind such a small shop.

"Where did you go today?" Xie Jiangqing asked, looking at Li Zhuangsheng who was pouring her water.

"I think it's called Peach Blossom Spring. Do you know that place?" Li Zhuangsheng asked.

"Oh, Peach Blossom Spring, huh? Now I know where it is!" Xie Jiangqing nodded repeatedly, her expression strange, as if reproachful. "Just the two of you went to Peach Blossom Spring?"

"Yeah... I originally wanted to invite Li Xiuyu along, but this guy was too lazy to go out!"

Li Zhuangsheng patted Li Xiuyu on the shoulder.

"Why didn't you invite Mengke?" Xie Jiangqing gritted her teeth. "Isn't she your girlfriend? Why didn't you have your sister take care of Xuanxuan for half a day?"

“She wasn’t feeling well…” Li Zhuangsheng explained, “so she didn’t come down for dinner tonight.”

"Are you feeling unwell?" Xie Jiangqing glanced at Li Zhuangsheng, noticing his normal expression. Then, thinking that Li Zhuangsheng couldn't possibly be lying about this, she couldn't help but reprimand him, "So you two went out for a drive alone in the Ferrari?"

“Yes, that’s right.” Li Zhuangsheng nodded in agreement.

"Don't you think what you're doing is strange?" Xie Jiangqing gently slapped the table. "Look, a lot of people know you're a married man, right? Now you're out with a rich woman who drives a Ferrari all the time. How are you going to explain this to acquaintances? And if your workplace finds out, how bad will it be for you!"

"Just say he's my friend. My friend has money and drives a Ferrari... Is that any of your business?"

"Who gets married and spends all their time going out alone with friends of the opposite sex! And driving such a flashy car at that!"

“Wow... What you said makes sense…” Li Zhuangsheng blinked and looked at Qin Luanyu.

"Isn't it enough to have a clear conscience? What, do you have a guilty conscience?" Qin Luanyu said casually.

"I have a clear conscience, we didn't do anything..." Li Zhuangsheng quickly tried to clear his name.

Although the two held hands, linked arms, and even touched legs, their relationship was completely innocent!
"Don't be so suspicious!" Xie Jiangqing's face hardened slightly. "You're only staying for a few days. What will happen to Li Zhuangsheng's reputation afterward?"

“I know you’re worried about me, but you don’t need to worry about that. Actually, the village chief just said that we’ll start our seclusion tomorrow and work hard!” Li Zhuangsheng puffed out his chest, then suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to look at Qin Luanyu, “Oh dear, is that why you…”

"Looks like you're not too stupid after all." Qin Luanyu smiled and patted Li Zhuangsheng on the shoulder. "Besides, your most important thing right now is writing your novel. There's nothing more important than that!"

"why?"

"Nonsense, because I'm your reader. What would I read if you didn't write novels?"

"Ohhhhhh!"

Li Zhuangsheng nodded vigorously; the reason was indeed too compelling. However, Li Zhuangsheng almost forgot this crucial point: the two were actually author and reader! Listening to their conversation, Xie Jiangqing frowned. Wait, what was this rich woman thinking? She clearly knew Li Zhuangsheng was a married man, yet she still wanted to make a move on him?

Aren't you bothered at all? What are you really thinking?

Is she really trying to steal someone else's partner? I despise women who like other men!

There's definitely a conspiracy!
"Miss Qin is from Hangzhou, right? She's still in school... You took leave to go to another man's house. It won't sound good if word gets out, will it?"

Xie Jiangqing launched her attack with a forced smile. She had been preparing for two days, determined to defeat the other party, even if it was just for Hu Mengdie and Hu Mengke's sake!

She was well aware of the current situation: Hu Mengke had no fighting spirit, Hu Mengdie was already in complete disarray, and Li Xiuyu was completely unconcerned and showed no sign of intervening.

Perhaps she was actually quite pleased that Li Zhuangsheng could hook up with a rich woman. Maybe she had already been bought off by the rich woman! Thinking back to their first meeting two days ago, Qin Luanyu casually gave her a five-figure handbag... If she was so generous to her, what would she be like to Li Zhuangsheng's sister!

I knew it! Li Xiuyu is acting like nothing happened, as if he's deliberately creating opportunities for them! He's definitely been bribed!
Li Xiuyu, I despise you! How could you abandon your brother for a little money!
Hmph, you still have to rely on me now. A little brat who's only 20, so arrogant and naive, what makes you think you can compete with me? Just because of the collagen in your face?

I had that when I was 20!

"It's nothing," Qin Luanyu waved her hand dismissively. "Nobody knows."

“If you come to visit during the summer vacation, maybe no one will know, but you took leave specifically for this trip, so it will be hard to keep it a secret.” Xie Jiangqing sighed, her tone earnest. “You’re still young. I’m a few years older than you and treat you like a younger sister. There are some things I want to tell you, so please don’t think I’m being long-winded.”

"Of course, how could that be?" Qin Luanyu smiled. "You're Brother Pujie's friend, so you're my friend too. You're not an outsider, Sister Xie, so please feel free to say whatever you want!"

Xie Jiangqing's eye twitched slightly. What do you mean I'm not an outsider? I should be the one saying that to you!

"Okay, then I'll say it. Of course, I don't mean anything by it. I just think that you're so young and should be in school. If people find out that you've dropped out of school to find a man, what will they think? Even if you don't care, can your parents not care? You're still young, and many things are impulsive, which I can understand, but this is related to your future reputation, right? For a girl, reputation is the most important thing, especially for a wealthy family like yours. Although I don't know much about them, I'm sure they care about these things! And will your elders agree to you coming here? Li Zhuangsheng is six years older than you and is a divorced man, right? Will your family support you?"

"What does this have to do with whether I get a divorce or not?"

Li Zhuangsheng couldn't help but ask, "If I don't get a divorce, will their family support Qin Luanyu taking leave to come and play?"

"Shut up!" Xie Jiangqing glared at him, then turned to Qin Luanyu in a coaxing tone, "Do you understand what I mean now? You're too young, don't be impulsive. I suggest you go back to school first. If you want to come and play, you can wait until summer vacation. This is for your own good, and also for Li Zhuangsheng's good. You have a bright future ahead of you, don't waste it here. Besides, there should be quite a few handsome guys in university, and Li Zhuangsheng isn't handsome."

"Hey, that's too much! I know I'm not handsome, but why did you suddenly stab me like that? What does this have to do with me!" Li Zhuangsheng was furious but dared not speak out.

"So that's what it was about." Qin Luanyu smiled, a faint, unwavering smile. "Sister Xie, don't worry, I've thought it through. Don't worry about school, you won't learn anything truly useful anyway. After all, my family has plenty of money, and I don't plan to work. I'll just eat, drink, and have fun from now on. My reputation isn't a big deal, and my dad doesn't expect me to take over the family business... Haha, don't worry, to be a little boastful, look at me, with these legs, I'm not worried about not having men chasing after me."

Xie Jiangqing's lips twitched slightly. How could such plain language be so infuriating?

"I... I'm doing this for you. I'm afraid you'll act impulsively. Sigh, let me tell you, I have a relative, a very pretty young woman from a well-off family. She was young and impulsively married a man who had nothing. Before marriage, she didn't think much of it, but after marriage, she realized the gap between them was too big. They often had nothing in common, their values ​​clashed, and now they argue all the time. They both deeply regret it!" Xie Jiangqing's concern deepened. "Don't mistake teenage infatuation for undying love. You're still young; you should look at things more carefully!"

"Haha, indeed, a thousand cups of wine are not enough when drinking with a bosom friend, but even half a sentence is too much when talking to someone you don't get along with. Luckily, Brother Pujie and I are the former, right?" Qin Luanyu laughed and grabbed Li Zhuangsheng's hand.

"Ahem!" Xie Jiangqing hurriedly stepped forward to separate the two, suppressing her anger, "What I mean is, it's actually very painful for people of different social statuses to be together. A poor scholar and a rich young lady can never have a future together!"

Li Zhuangsheng nodded repeatedly. Although he wasn't quite sure what the two were discussing, he had a vague feeling that something was going on, so he couldn't help but interject, offering his opinion: "There's some truth to that. I've always disliked the term 'marrying someone of equal social standing.' I think it's outdated and feudal. But lately, it seems there's some truth to it. The one with better family conditions is often more assertive, while the other has to compromise. There's nothing that can be done about it. That's why in fairy tales, princesses either marry noble princes or powerful heroes."

Xie Jiangqing immediately perked up upon hearing this: "Right, right? You think so too? It's rare that we agree!"

"Sister Xie, that relative you mentioned earlier, her unhappy marriage, could it be due to her own reasons?"

Qin Luanyu toyed with the cup in her hand, a faint smile on her face.

"What's the reason?" Xie Jiangqing was taken aback.

"Does marrying someone of equal social standing guarantee happiness? I think your relative's unhappiness stems not from differences in social status, but from the inequality between the two. If she were willing to share her assets with her husband to achieve equality, and if she could have a more balanced mindset instead of feeling like she's marrying down, their marriage would likely be much more harmonious. From my observation, the root of many unhappy marriages lies in the imbalance of one party's mindset. There's always one party who feels they've been taken advantage of in marriage and wants to get their revenge on their partner. Don't you find this mindset ridiculous? If you have a sense of superiority, why get married in the first place? Marrying with the mindset of 'Even though you're terrible, I don't mind, so you have to treat me even better from now on' is harmful from the start. This isn't a problem with marriage itself, nor is it about being mismatched in social standing; it's a cognitive flaw."

Hearing Qin Luanyu's words, Xie Jiangqing was stunned. She blinked helplessly, feeling like a wooden chicken.

"Sister Xie, you don't actually feel the same way about your crush, do you?" Qin Luanyu asked casually.

"I, of course I'm not..."

Xie Jiangqing snapped out of her daze and hurriedly denied it. She glanced at Li Zhuangsheng subconsciously, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

"If I were to get married, I would definitely convert my personal premarital assets into joint property immediately. Actually, I have quite a lot of money. Not counting hotels, my assets and cash are worth eight figures... I think it would be great for two people to live a carefree life with this money. Even if we cashed it all out and deposited it in the four major banks, we could still earn five or six hundred thousand a year just from the interest. Besides, I have my dad who can generate gold coins." Qin Luanyu changed the subject, "Sister Xie, you work at a bank. I heard you have a permanent position. Your family background must be quite good, right?"

"Uh, it's alright..."

"What is your annual income? What are your future plans? If you get married, what are your salary expectations for your partner? Do you plan to have children? If so, can you provide them with the best educational resources? Your salary is probably insufficient to support a child normally; both of you will likely need to work. If you both work every day, who will take care of the child? Will you rely on your parents? You probably can't afford a nanny, right? Since you both work, you'll likely have very little time to spend with your child. Have you thought about what your future will be like?" Every day is just work, work, work; holidays are spent resting at home—a routine that's both monotonous and exhausting. Even during long holidays, traffic jams and crowds of tourists are everywhere. You have to worry about making ends meet, about expenses, and always have to be frugal. It's impossible to just go wherever you want, to find beautiful girls on the Golden Beach Grasslands, to explore the ancient Silk Road in the Western Regions, to spend the winter in Sanya, to escape the summer heat in Harbin, to see the sea in Yantai, to see the aurora borealis in Mohe… You can't do any of those things, can you? While it's said that love can fill even water, isn't it a shame if all you can do is drink water?

Qin Luanyu smiled at Xie Jiangqing, a smile that was sincere and passionate, aggressive as fire, forcing Xie Jiangqing's lips to dry and her body to involuntarily shrink back, almost causing her to fall backward. (End of this chapter)