Rebirth: Start to Save the Treasure Girl

[You broke your promise! Why aren't you here yet?]

Looking at Chen Tingting's message, Xue Rui instinctively wanted to apologize.

When Xue Rui typed "I'm sorry," he suddenly remembered why he had to apologize to Chen Tingting.

Even though he had broken his promise first, Chen Tingting's bossy attitude made it seem as if she was absolutely right.

Xue Rui hesitated for a moment, his mind racing.

I haven't wronged Chen Tingting, have I?
The answer is no.

So what is the relationship between Chen Tingting and myself?

The answer is that it doesn't matter.

Well, now he can rest assured.

Having occupied the moral high ground, Xue Rui, whose back had been slightly hunched from typing, instantly straightened up.

He deleted the apology and replaced it with a questioning tone:

【Huh? Didn't I tell you to wait for my message? Why are you contacting me first?】

After the message was sent, Chen Tingting's name changed to "[The other party is typing]".

Xue Rui held up his phone and waited for a long time, but still no message came.

Xue Rui's mind went blank for a moment. Was Chen Tingting writing a "little essay"?
For a moment, he didn't know whether to turn off his phone or not.

Xue Rui dared to leave Chen Tingting hanging, but he didn't dare to leave her hanging for too long, thinking that if Chen Tingting got really angry, who knows what kind of trouble she might cause.

As Xue Rui looked at his message, he realized he had been too harsh.

So, Xue Rui subconsciously typed "I'm sorry, it was my fault just now".

However, before Xue Rui could press the send button, Chen Tingting's message had already arrived.

Contrary to Xue Rui's expectations, Chen Tingting's answer was very short, and its content made Xue Rui gasp in surprise.

Chen Tingting: [It was my fault, please don't be angry.]

Along with this came the currently popular "Changcao Yantuanzi" emoji pack.

The little white dumpling cartoon character looks like a small glutinous rice ball, with tears welling up in its eyes, and a caption below that reads, "I'm sorry."

Xue Rui stood there stunned, unable to come to his senses for a long time, but cute emojis kept popping up on the screen.

One minute she's apologizing, the next she's being affectionate and showing off her love...

Xue Rui couldn't resist adding Chen Tingting's face to the meme collection...

In Xue Rui's eyes, Chen Tingting was domineering.

Chen Tingting dared to argue with Gu Muxue, dared to falsely accuse Lin Ruoxi, and even dared to threaten her roommate. She was like a hedgehog, a real prickly girl.

But in front of Xue Rui, Chen Tingting put away all her sharp edges, only showing him her softest belly.

So, even Chen Tingting can bow her head...

This left Xue Rui somewhat at a loss.

He misunderstood Chen Tingting too much, always thinking that Chen Tingting was the most important person in the world and that he was second only to her.

In addition, Chen Tingting got along well with the boys, and they thought she wasn't that sensitive and was a very easygoing girl.

However, Xue Rui was wrong, terribly wrong.

Chen Tingting is indeed insensitive to others because she doesn't care about anyone.

But Xue Rui was an exception in Chen Tingting's mind.

Chen Tingting: [Please don't ignore me. I really know I was wrong. I just miss you a little.]

Xue Rui scratched his head guiltily, hesitated for a long time, and then typed a line:

Eat well, I'll come see you after I finish my work this afternoon.

For some reason, Xue Rui suddenly saw a bit of Lin Ruoxi in Chen Tingting.

That sensitive little girl would probably be too worried to eat if she were scolded like this, which is why she habitually said those words.

Chen Tingting: [Really? Where are we going?]

Xue Rui smiled slightly and continued typing: "You'll find out then."

Chen Tingting: [Waiting for you~]

……

That afternoon, Xue Rui stood on the outskirts of Jiaotong University's sports field, with the blazing sun overhead.

Looking up, the students were divided into many squares, some standing at attention, some marching in formation, and some lying on the artificial turf as if doing push-ups.

Xue Rui glanced at it, rubbed his hands together sympathetically. Even from a distance, he felt a discomfort in his palms, as if small pebbles were embedded in the plastic lawn.

"It's so hot."

Xue Rui wiped the sweat from his forehead, found a shady spot to wait for the rest of the group, and wondered why he felt so weak.

After only a few steps after getting off the bus, my clothes were already half-soaked.

Could it be that the little girl has been causing trouble lately?

"No, I need to go back and replenish myself properly," Xue Rui muttered to himself.

In reality, it's truly difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

Since graduating from high school, Xue Rui has never suffered from the scorching sun again.

They have air conditioning at home and a private Maybach when they go out.

After getting out of the car, he either used Lin Ruoxi's umbrella or Gu Muxue's umbrella; he had never suffered like this before.
Xue Rui sat on the curb, and the heat beneath his buttocks made him bounce up immediately.

Xue Rui was restless, his eyes darting around.

He took out his phone and texted Gu Muxue: [What are you doing?]

Gu Muxue: [We're rehearsing for the department's performance, chatting together right now. They're all beautiful girls, do you want to come over?]

Xue Rui's lips curled slightly upward as he typed: "I'm not going. I'm afraid they'll be jealous of you."

Gu Muxue: [What are you jealous of me for?]

Xue Rui: [I'm jealous that you have such a handsome boyfriend.]

Gu Muxue replied with a grinning emoji.

Xue Rui touched his nose, feeling that the smile wasn't quite genuine.

But never mind, as long as Gu Muxue is busy.

Because Gu Muxue's holiday started late, the semester hasn't fully started yet. She's just arriving at school early to help the department with some welcome activities.

Xue Rui was afraid of running into Gu Muxue, which is why he inquired about Gu Muxue's whereabouts in advance.

Xue Rui plans to visit Chen Tingting, but doesn't intend to bring Gu Muxue along.

In fact, Xue Rui's original plan was to take Gu Muxue to "visit" Chen Tingting, so as to show his stance and support Gu Muxue.

But when Xue Rui thought about Chen Tingting's behavior that morning, he really couldn't bear it.

Chen Tingting really came here for herself. If he really does this, it's like driving Chen Tingting to the brink of despair.

To be honest, Chen Tingting hadn't done anything particularly outrageous...

Chen Tingting makes dumplings, desserts, and handmade gifts for herself...

Even though Xue Rui was stuck in Hedong due to his studies, Chen Tingting never missed a single holiday for him. She even sent a birthday cake to Xue Rui's roommate on his birthday.

During the summer vacation, he even worked at Xue Rui's house.

Even if Xue Rui didn't see it, it's certain that Chen Tingting is a very diligent worker; otherwise, she wouldn't have discovered the cook stealing food...

"Sigh~" Xue Rui sighed helplessly, and his back, which had just straightened up, bent down again.

Chen Tingting did nothing wrong; she was simply boldly pursuing the person she liked. And he did nothing wrong either; he was protecting the person he loved.

But these two things are contradictory.

However, because Xue Rui was two-timing Chen Tingting, he cannot morally condemn her.

Both he and Chen Tingting had ulterior motives...

……

at the same time.

Chen Tingting stood in the queue, her body ramrod straight, but her eyes were fixed on the direction of the playground entrance, hoping that Xue Rui would appear at any moment.

"Chen Tingting, where are you looking?"

A sudden shout from the instructor rang out behind her. Chen Tingting instinctively shrugged, a hint of anger rising on her face. She shouted back:
"Report, watch the entrance to the playground."

As she said this, Chen Tingting's eyes remained fixed on the entrance to the playground.

The young instructor was taken aback. He thought to himself, "I was just giving you a hint. You should correct it. Why are you arguing with me?"

不过这位年轻教官也没有太过惊讶，毕竟他前几天就见过陈婷婷了，还请教他怎么揍情敌，明显就是个不服管的“刺头”。

"Step forward, twenty push-ups."

The instructor's voice was loud and clear, tinged with a hint of helplessness.

Chen Tingting embarrassed him in front of everyone, so he had no choice but to punish him slightly.

Chen Tingting took a step forward and decisively threw herself on the ground to do push-ups, while the instructor beside her led everyone in slowly counting:
"One~"

"Two~"

The crowd shouted in unison, some with a hint of schadenfreude.

After all, military training is so boring and tedious, watching others' methods is one of the few interesting things to do.

Especially since the person being punished this time was the prettiest girl in the class, and also the most unruly.

Chen Tingting bit the collar of her military training uniform tightly, sweat slowly sliding down her forehead, feeling like tiny ants crawling over her, itchy and ticklish.

Most people would choose to lower their heads even further so that the sweat can drip down with gravity and avoid getting into their eyes.

However, Chen Tingting was different. She kept her head up, her slightly chubby face trembling slightly, like a piece of jelly.
Sweat trickled down her face, but Chen Tingting ignored it, letting it cling to her long, curled eyelashes and eventually get into her eyes.

Sweat got into her eyes, causing a slight stinging sensation at first. As Chen Tingting blinked unconsciously, the sweat dissolved in her eyes.

The bittersweet feeling made her unable to stop crying, but Chen Tingting kept her eyes fixed on the front.

The instructor looked surprised. Chen Tingting's physical strength was clearly nearing its limit, and her arms were starting to tremble slightly, but she was still gritting her teeth and persevering, as if she was being supported by a belief.

It's important to know that girls generally have very poor upper body strength; being able to do five standard push-ups is already considered above average.

He just said twenty was just to make things difficult, thinking that when Chen Tingting did it, he would make her admit her mistake, and then he could lead the group to speed things up, and the matter would be over.

However, the shouts of the crowd had now reached "Fifteen!"

The shouts rose higher and higher, each one louder and more resonant than the last, as if trying to lend their strength to Chen Tingting.

Even those who were initially gloating couldn't help but join in the shouting.

Because the new instructors were trying to establish their authority these past few days, quite a few people were punished by doing push-ups. However, since most of their energy in high school was spent studying, their physical fitness was relatively weak.
In addition to the physical exertion of military training, and the instructors' slow and deliberate application of pressure, even the boys never managed to complete twenty repetitions in one go.

The instructors, on the other hand, would always seize the opportunity to make a few disparaging remarks.

For example: "It is said that health is the foundation of everything. If you are good at studying but don't have a healthy body, isn't that all for nothing?"

"Even vocational college students can finish this, you guys are the worst class I've ever taught!"

Chen Tingting was probably the first in their group to finish, which made them proud.

"Come on, Chen Tingting, only two left!" a boy couldn't help but shout.

"come on!"

Those who shouted the loudest were the ones who had been kicked in the butt by the instructors.

The crowd's shouts drew frequent glances from the surrounding formations.

Xue Rui, who was standing at the edge of the playground, naturally heard the shouts of these people.

He slowly walked into the playground, raised his head and looked around, wondering how he could find Chen Tingting among the crowd.

Unlike Lin Ruoxi, Chen Tingting was the tallest girl in the group, so she only needed to find girls at the back of the line.

Chen Tingting is clearly the one we need to start looking for from the very beginning.

But all he saw were radishes, which dazzled him.

Nineteen! That's the last one!

Someone shouted regardless of the consequences.

Chen Tingting's arms suddenly went weak, and she couldn't muster any strength at all. Her elbows trembled more and more violently, and everyone's hearts were in their throats.

Chen Tingting blinked; she noticed someone coming in from the playground.

Upon closer inspection, that familiar figure was none other than the person I had been longing for day and night.

"Xue Rui!"

Chen Tingting shouted, her arms straightened instantly, and her body stood up as if it were springy, not at all like someone who had just done twenty push-ups.

"twenty……"

Logically, the last number should have been a time of high morale, but everyone suddenly became deflated.

His tone was filled with shock, but even more so with bewilderment.

Because Chen Tingting ran away, she ran out of the formation in front of everyone.

The instructor looked extremely displeased. "Why are you causing trouble for me again!"

"Drip~~"

A melodious whistle sounded, coming from the direction of the head instructor, indicating that there would be a half-hour break in the middle.

The young instructor breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he had finally found a way out, since Chen Tingting had followed the whistle.

He shouted, "Take a half-hour break, and drink water if you need to."

Upon hearing the order, everyone felt as if their bones had fallen apart, their shoulders slumped, and they sat down on the ground without caring whether it was dirty or not.

"Chen Tingting was clearly exhausted just now, so why did she unleash such great strength at the last moment?" a boy asked, puzzled.

"Look over there, isn't it obvious? Her boyfriend is here."

Everyone looked up and saw Chen Tingting throwing herself into the arms of a tall boy.

"Is this love? It can give people so much power."

……

Xue Rui raised his arms above his head. In front of him was a dense crowd of students in military training uniforms, which looked somewhat comical.

But Xue Rui didn't have time to care about any of that, because Chen Tingting threw herself into his arms, crying as she rushed towards him, her eyes filled with tears.

He gritted his teeth, thinking that since Gu Muxue couldn't see it anyway, there was no harm in comforting her.

Xue Rui lowered his voice, took off Chen Tingting's hat, gently rubbed her head, and softly comforted her, "Why are you crying? Who bullied you?"

Chen Tingting wanted to explain: she wasn't crying, it was just sweat dripping into her eyes...

But Xue Rui's voice was so gentle, a tone she had never heard before, as if it came from the depths of her memory, yet now it was so close.

So, crying can actually win Xue Rui's tenderness?

If that's the case, then I really need to cry.

Chen Tingting rubbed her eyes until they were even redder, then looked at Xue Rui with her big, watery eyes:

"I was so afraid you'd lie to me again, I worried for so long. Seeing you here, I just couldn't hold back." (End of Chapter)