Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 136, Section 134: My Sister's Citywide Romance (10,000-word update, please vote!)
People who seek love certainly exist.

Jiangnan Jiayuan residential community is located about 500 meters away from Nanhu University.

It was daytime, but in Unit 1 of Building 6, a resident on the third floor still had their curtains tightly closed.

Shen Yunrong leaned back on the sofa, staring at the cake that had been sitting on the table overnight and the quiet screen of her phone. Her face was gloomy and she looked haggard.

Yesterday was her 28th birthday.

Her boyfriend, who lived in another city and had promised to come to Jiangcheng to celebrate her birthday, never showed up.

He didn't reply to the message, and I haven't seen him all day.

No matter how cold the cake is, it can't warm her heart, which is gradually losing its warmth.

To meet her boyfriend, she specially applied a 20-minute cleansing mask, a 15-minute emergency mask, and then had a 30-minute LED light therapy session the day before.

I went to a bathhouse for a milk bath, and felt all warm and soft. Then I went to the hair salon to blow-dry my hair, get a hair mask, and apply hair oil before finally picking up the cake and taking it to my destination.

But he still didn't show up.

The cake, red wine, and several hot dishes were all swallowed up by darkness.

Shen Yunrong was completely disappointed when the clock struck 12.

I took three melatonin tablets, tilted my head back, gulped down a glass of red wine, and threw myself into bed sprayed with sleep spray.

However, he tossed and turned all night.

At 28, she has indeed reached the age where she can comfortably be a "big sister".

After her birthday, she will soon be turning thirty.

Women often start to worry about weight gain, dark circles, and sagging skin after the age of 25.

She worked diligently for three years and was fortunate enough to discover that skincare and beauty treatments could save everything.

Just when I had accepted myself as I was beginning to age, I heard that turning twenty-eight was another major hurdle.

If you don't have a boyfriend, your hormones won't be regulated, and your metabolism will start to drop rapidly. Even if you do 10 hours of aerobic exercise every week, you still won't lose a pound.

For example, the seemingly universal Thermage treatment is starting to show diminishing marginal returns for mature skin. If the skin continues to sag, other methods may have to be used.

Fortunately, not everyone is selling anxiety. These days, the endless stream of female-oriented variety shows and TV dramas has made people realize a fact.

It's not scary for a woman to get old; what's scary is being poor and ugly, and what's scary is not being loved.

As one gets older, charm and allure naturally follow.

However, despite her efforts to build up her confidence, the ten-year age difference, as a counselor, made her feel overwhelmed by the constant stream of energetic young people.
She still feels the pressure that comes with age.

Shen Yunrong, who graduated with a master's degree, studied at a normal university and is a typical "three-door cadre".

I had no time for romance while I was studying, but after graduation, I suddenly realized that I had reached the age to get married.

She started to get anxious, began to try to open her heart, and started going on blind dates.

But the boys I met through blind dates were indeed in good condition.

Most of them are dull, ordinary, and not interesting enough. People approach her because they think they are "suitable," but no one can actually get into her heart.

Does being compatible automatically mean you can get married?

Shen Yunrong didn't want to compromise, nor did she want her life to fall into a situation from which there was no turning back.

I don't remember what the opportunity was, or which colleague in the office mentioned it casually.

Many young people nowadays use social media apps, which is also a good way to find a partner.

Shen Yunrong silently kept it in mind.

Modern social networking apps have evolved and developed a different logic for making friends along with the development of the internet.

Images, videos, phone number registrations—people living in the real world seem not so different from those on the internet.

The naked appearance matching system requires not only filling in personal information, but also uploading photos openly.

Encounters seem to have become like fast food, naked and direct.

She certainly wasn't insecure about her looks.

However, the "people nearby" feature is something she simply can't bring herself to use.

Her residence almost completely overlaps with her workplace, Nanhu University.

If I register, log in, and then upload photos, wouldn't it be easy for acquaintances to see them?
How can that work!
In her eyes, for every one person who finds love on these straightforward social apps, ten people end up getting hurt.

How terrible is desire?
When she opened the app late at night, many people were sending each other photos, the content of which was very explicit, almost like they were all uncensored.

The thought of being matched with an acquaintance one day and being gossiped about behind her back by her colleagues made Shen Yunrong immediately dismiss the idea.

Until one day, she saw a news feed ad on her phone.

In a universe, there are countless lonely planets that are drawn together by souls.

—No dating, no romance, no looks, just heartfelt social interaction, soul matching!

This app ad, with its slightly fresh and clean style, quickly caught Shen Yunrong's attention.

She secretly downloaded and logged in, becoming a new user of the software.

This software is surprisingly useful.

No need to upload photos or arrange to meet immediately; it's like the early days when you could make friends simply by having a QQ account. Many of its features resonated with this older, artistic young woman.

Of course, some people would make strange requests, or even act rudely. But her novelty of anonymous chatting and her anticipation of "soulmate matching" seemed to outweigh these.

I'm so tired of this; all I have to do is click the X in the dialog box.

Occasionally, a few people you get along with will stay behind, and there's no need to investigate their identities.

At her age, she originally thought she just wanted to be beautiful and was afraid of getting old.

But for the first time, she realized that after wearing a mask for so long within the system, she not only craved to be loved, but was also afraid of having no one to confide in, especially—to pour out her secrets.

Even without anonymity or photos, many people's chats are just as boring as in real life.

Shen Yunrong lost interest halfway through the conversation.

Some people disappear from the chat box before you even have a chance to get to know them.

In the end, very few people could maintain a conversation for more than three days.

Shen Yunrong knew that there was no chance of falling in love with this kind of chatting, but she was extremely lonely, and even the smallest source of warmth could keep her warm.

If, as news feed ads suggest, one can find a soul that resonates with them in the universe of words, that is true happiness.

Then she's willing to go find him.

So when someone could talk to her for a whole week, Shen Yunrong suddenly became interested.

He was always online, responded quickly, and was extremely gentle.

When his chat window appears as soon as I open the app, my feelings are no less than they were more than a decade ago when I opened the first-generation social networking app and immediately heard a coughing sound.

After getting to know her better, she felt she had met her ideal type.

The other person is not only sunny and handsome, but also highly educated and has a high income, yet he is not as impatient as the men on other apps.

He was very calm and composed when chatting, and extremely gentlemanly.

He would chat with Shen Yunrong in a casual way, talking about how he started a company and how he would read, play ball, and travel in his spare time.

He would also share the exquisite meals he cooked with Shen Yunrong in the app.

What's most surprising is that he said he had the same experience as Shen Yunrong.

I was busy studying from a young age and had no time or opportunity to fall in love. I struggled alone in a big city, and loneliness became the main theme of my life.

He also said that social media is not just for dating, and social interaction is not all about love.

It's more like an outlet for your emotions. Anonymity is like a confessional hole; the software is where you vent. Nobody knows who you are, but it allows you to let go of the past.

At this moment, donning your ID, you become an independent individual, finding compatible new partners and unleashing another side of your personality.

The desire for companionship and interaction will always be a basic need, just like when humans first learned to stand on Earth and began to look up at stars tens of thousands of light-years away.

The two unexpectedly hit it off, quickly becoming fast friends and talking about everything.

Moving from social media to private WeChat further solidified their romantic relationship.

Shen Yunrong, deeply in love, felt as if her life had never been so sweet.

Despite my boyfriend being very busy with work, despite him frequently traveling for business, and despite the fact that his bank card often has various minor problems.

It's all small problems.

Shen Yunrong didn't find anything strange about it.

On the contrary, as a college counselor, although her income is not particularly high, her daily expenses are mostly around the school, and she rarely runs out of money.

My boyfriend often says that his dream is to get married, support a family, and be a traditional man.

He kept calling me "baby" and said that after we got married we would be family, and that all my money would be given to me!
At these times, Shen Yunrong couldn't help but lower her head shyly, rub her cheeks, and reply to messages with trembling fingertips as her heart raced.

The two had long since changed their nicknames to husband and wife, and their conversations had begun to focus on planning their future together.

The house in Jiangnan Garden is too small, and the school district isn't top-tier. I might as well quit my job as a counselor and go to Shanghai or Beijing with him!

Live in a larger duplex.

Sweetness, anticipation, deep affection.

As luck would have it, Shen Yunrong's birthday falls at the end of this month.

The other person readily agreed to come and celebrate with her, but then stood her up with a rather lame excuse.

As night fell, her wish vanished in the wind. She lit a candle herself, which burned out naturally.

Endless darkness surged towards Shen Yunrong, leaving her helpless.

After waking up from the dream, Shen Yunrong stayed curled up on the sofa for a long time. She drew back the curtains and saw the WeChat message her boyfriend had sent again, finally starting to wake up.

Honey, all my money is tied up in the stock market. The company needs some cash flow right now. Could you help me out again?

This involves cross-border currency exchange, and there are many things that can't be explained in a short time. I'm really in a bit of a hurry, but I'll get it to you next week!

Shen Yunrong stared at the new message in front of her, biting her lip and remaining motionless for a long, long time.

She stared until her eyes started to hurt, then raised her wrist and rubbed them.

[Baby, it's fine to transfer the money back to the original account. Love you!]

love me
Does he love me?

Shen Yunrong stared at the two words and a red heart above, and for the first time, she felt a little irritated.

(End of this chapter)