Classmate Li Zhuangsheng doesn’t want to be reborn

"Why?" Li Zhuangsheng asked in surprise.

"Hmm... If I married another man, would you really be happy?" Li Xiuyu asked in return.

Li Zhuangsheng was stunned for a long time, thinking that if Li Xiuyu really got together with another man... it was hard to imagine... but if that day really came, it would be really sad.

It felt as if his own sister had been taken away. Even if Li Xiuyu and the other person truly loved each other, he would never be able to smile.

"Oh, oh...that's true." Li Zhuangsheng licked his lips.

He must be jealous, right? There were two of them, yet someone stole his love, and he was no longer the most important person to that person. But he was too ashamed to say it out loud.

Li Xiuyu chuckled softly, "That's why I'm jealous. After all, you're my...brother!"

"Sigh..." Li Zhuangsheng sighed as well, joking with a hint of self-abandonment, "I might as well never get married, we're quite happy like this!"

"Don't give me that, I don't believe you!" Li Xiuyu immediately retorted irritably.

Who was it that refused to find a partner at all, and then changed their attitude in the blink of an eye after meeting Hu Mengdie! And the speed of the change was so fast that even Li Xiuyu was caught off guard.

Li Zhuangsheng grinned silently, then said, "So you still want me to be with Xie Jiangqing?"

“It has nothing to do with Xie Jiangqing. Actually, I don’t really care. It’s like the sky is going to rain, and a mother is going to remarry. You’ll eventually get married and have children. We can’t really let the Li family line die out. I can’t stop you. I couldn’t control your decision to marry Hu Mengdie back then.” Li Xiuyu slowly lifted her drooping eyelids. “I hope you can find happiness, instead of trapping yourself in your own mess.”

"You've spun your own cocoon... Heh." Li Zhuangsheng couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh. "So you think it's better for me to be with Xie Jiangqing?"

Li Xiuyu smiled enigmatically: "Now that you mention it, it seems like there are other options... Let me guess, Qin Luanyu also confessed to you?"

Li Zhuangsheng was surprised and helpless: "You could tell that? It's not like everyone else knew it and I was the only one who didn't!"

"That's true." Li Xiuyu nodded calmly.

Li Zhuangsheng laughed helplessly: "Fine, you guys win..."

"So, you're planning to choose Qin Luanyu? She's your dream girl, the one who best suits your taste, practically a heroine from a two-dimensional world," Li Xiuyu said. "Therefore, this isn't a multiple-choice question at all."

“No, I…” Li Zhuangsheng shook his head subconsciously.

"You can only choose one: fish or bear's paw."

"I don't like eating fish, and I've never eaten bear's paw."

"Then let me put it again. You like Qin Luanyu, and you also like Xie Jiangqing. But you like Qin Luanyu more. The two of you are soulmates and share the same interests. But there's Hu Mengke in the middle. You have an obligation to Hu Mengke that you can't let go of... Of course, it's also possible that you've developed feelings for her over time." Li Xiuyu smiled inexplicably.

"Can we please not make raunchy jokes in this kind of setting?" Li Zhuangsheng sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“Of course you can.” Li Xiuyu shrugged. “You prefer Qin Luanyu; she’s practically perfect, including your heroic rescue of her. But Qin Luanyu is too distant, making her seem unreal. She’s so rich, so you feel intimidated and inferior; you think being a kept man is a shameful thing. You have a bit of a crush on Xie Jiangqing, not to mention Hu Mengke, but there’s always something awkward and unsatisfying about it. Besides, you don’t really like Xie Jiangqing that much; accepting her as a buy-one-get-one-free deal makes you feel a bit guilty.”

Li Zhuangsheng remained silent for a moment, realizing that denying it in front of Li Xiuyu was pointless and unnecessary. "Sigh, if only Qin Luanyu would let you have a harem," Li Xiuyu said sarcastically. "If only you could have a harem, just like the harem anime you love to watch."

"Don't say that, anime is anime..."

"Whether you do it or not is one thing, whether you want to do it or not is another, right?" Li Xiuyu laughed and flicked Li Zhuangsheng's head. "Hey, if you had nine or even ten figures in assets right now, would you build a harem?"

"I don't know. I think I should have principles... but I always seem to overestimate myself." Li Zhuangsheng gave a wry smile. "What should I do now?"

"Even if I offer suggestions, you won't listen to them."

"Tell me, I'll use this as a reference!"

“Choose a rich woman!” Li Xiuyu said with a serious expression.

"What's the reason?"

"You don't want to be a kept man, but I do!"

Li Zhuangsheng's lips twitched slightly: "Can't we rely on our own efforts to have enough to eat and wear?"

Li Xiuyu rolled her eyes: "Do you think this is more than ten years ago? Look at the current social atmosphere. Only a fool would refuse a woman's offer... If the two of us work hard, we won't even earn a fraction of her wealth in our entire lives!"

"One should have ambition. What if I write a book that rivals Tang Jia San Shao and Tian Can Tu Dou?"

"Why are you getting arrogant again? People like that usually become famous at a young age. If you were one of them, you would have been one long ago!"

Li Zhuangsheng looked dejected for a moment, then said, "Alright, maybe I really can't become a top online novelist."

Li Xiuyu patted Li Zhuangsheng on the shoulder: "Although I feel sorry for hurting your feelings, even if I say this, you won't be able to make up your mind to choose Qin Luanyu. How could someone with such a strong sense of self-respect choose to climb such a high ladder?"

"So, I can only choose Xie Jiangqing?" Li Zhuangsheng licked his lips and laughed self-deprecatingly. "Actually, this is not a multiple-choice question. I didn't have any other choices from the beginning."

“Xie Jiangqing is indeed very suitable for you, and you will fall in love with her. The only thing you need to overcome now is your overly high moral standards,” Li Xiuyu said. “Although I do think you and Qin Luanyu would get along better. It’s a pity, she’s too outstanding.”

Li Zhuangsheng remained silent.

For the next two days, Li Zhuangsheng continued writing his novel as usual, with Qin Luanyu offering guidance. Li Zhuangsheng asked her if she was interested in writing one herself, to which Qin Luanyu replied that guiding others and writing one's own novel were two different things; otherwise, every website editor would have quit their job to write novels.

Xie Jiangqing has been staying at Li Zhuangsheng's house for the past few days, and she even comes back for lunch. Li Zhuangsheng sleeps with Hu Mengke at night, but he's in a bad mood and they don't do anything intimate. Of course, this is also related to the fact that Hu Mengke didn't actively seduce him; otherwise, Li Zhuangsheng might not have been able to resist.

Hu Mengdie hasn't gone to work for the past few days, staying in her bedroom as if she's completely withdrawn. She does come out to eat as usual, but she doesn't speak to anyone. Her eyes are lifeless.

Li Zhuangsheng was very worried, but then he thought that Xie Jiangqing was sleeping with her, so there shouldn't be any problems.

Li Zhuangsheng still felt vaguely uneasy. (End of Chapter)