Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 220, Chapter 218: How about one more time?
The moment the words were spoken, time seemed to stand still.

At the same time, Lu Shiya's countdown voice floated out: "One!"

"time up!"

But it doesn't matter anymore.

The classmates who were originally enjoying watching the show were suddenly drawn into the drama, completely captivated by Zhong Yuyun's natural gaze and expressiveness.

I rely on!

Is this a recreation of an idol drama filming set?
Zhong Yuyun's cheeks were still flushed, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, like a drawn bowstring, charging straight into Zhou Mingyuan's eyes.

The one who was most unsettled at this moment was Zhou Mingyuan.

He was almost completely stunned, his pupils involuntarily contracting as he faced the impact of the white moonlight.

Although he didn't speak or dodge, he appeared to others as calm, composed, smiling, and playful.

But Zhong Yuyun's genuine emotions were more powerful than any words, striking the softest spot in his heart.

His fingers tightened, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his usually calm and rational mind went blank for a moment.

A bunch of words involuntarily popped into my mind.

Assist, wingman, a stroke of genius.
All the skills and experience I had learned in the past have disappeared.

Ten seconds is very short, just a few breaths for an ordinary person.

But ten seconds is also a long time, enough for millions of neurons to merge in thoughts and echo for centuries.

In this infinitely stretched world, the two stood there quietly, their gazes locked together.

The surrounding air seemed to become tender and affectionate, the stars filled the sky, and an unspoken tension was palpable.

All the palpitations, panic, curiosity, indulgence, and the final sublimation of the sound that arise within ten seconds make one unable to resist endless reverie, so sweet it's almost cloying.

"Oh my god."

Gu Wanwan, sitting to the side, didn't say a word for a long time.

Only when the countdown ended did she finally find her voice, clasping her arms together and exclaiming, breaking the suffocating silence.

Although she didn't know what to say, she felt that if she didn't speak up, the two of them might...
"Why bother going to school? You should all become actors."

"Those ten seconds were absolutely... absolutely so intense!"

Qin Weifeng's evaluation seemed to have lifted the spell on the two people standing in front of him.

"."

Zhong Yujun then came to her senses.

God!

Help, help, help!

I became the center of attention in front of so many people!

Like a frightened deer, she covered her flushed cheeks with both hands, not daring to look at Zhou Mingyuan again. She sat back in her chair, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

"The acting was alright."

Liu Zhe gritted his teeth, forced a smile, and gripped the UNO cards tightly in his hand, though he was actually extremely upset inside.

Is this a punishment or a reward?

Gu Wanwan and Lu Shiya are absolutely insane!

Are a group of people supporting Zhou Mingyuan?

To be honest, Zhou Mingyuan's approach is quite cunning. He deliberately invited everyone to play this card game with its strong social element. Did he have some ulterior motive all along?
How could such a ridiculous thing happen when we were just playing a puzzle board game?
Fuck!
While cursing, he also carefully observed Zhong Yujun's facial expression, resenting why she chose to look at someone of the opposite sex instead of herself.

She's clearly a pretty good actress herself!

"Hahahaha~"

Lu Shiya put her arm around Zhong Yujun's shoulder and giggled.

Whose idol drama's leading lady is she?

"Go aside!"

Zhong Yujun rolled her eyes at her.

"You really nailed your lines just now! So adorable!"

"Alright, alright, let's continue playing."

"Zhou Mingyuan, hurry up! It's your turn to shuffle the cards."

"OK~"

Zhou Mingyuan cleared his throat, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart, and his face returned to its usual calm.

Girls with a burning passion for gossip seem to be natural wingmen.

After several more rounds of games, everyone had their wins and losses.

In particular, Zhong Yujun, who was determined to take revenge, severely punished Lu Shiya several times without Zhou Mingyuan deliberately targeting her.

Its scale was so large that even art student Lu Shiya blushed.

Of course, she herself did not escape unscathed.

In the following segments, everyone seemed to tacitly accept the slight ambiguity between Zhong Yujun and Zhou Mingyuan.

It's important to know that the officially recognized couples among classmates in a small group are usually just a matter of time before they actually become a real couple.

Because classmates inevitably tease and joke with each other, and it happens constantly, all the time.

The fact that they could withstand this shows that their feelings for each other had already accumulated to a certain extent.

In addition, the term "CP" (couple pairing) also carries another layer of meaning.

There will be no random matchmaking, and anyone who has feelings for the girl will automatically back down.

Don't be fooled by how close these classmates in Jiangcheng are now; back when school started, who could say they didn't have feelings for Zhong Yujun?
High school graduates who have just graduated are prone to losing sight of themselves and thinking that they are the most important person in the world.

Why can't I pursue Zhong Yujun?

Until the reality deep in the sea slowly surfaced, pressing ever closer.

After living in Jiangcheng for several months, the once high-profile Liu Zhe fell silent.

Qin Weifeng controlled his thoughts very well until he discovered that Zhou Mingyuan had achieved remarkable success, at which point he firmly suppressed them.

He's the boss of Jieyou Media, the company that works for my senior!
Standing next to Zhong Yujun, he couldn't muster any competitive spirit.

Reality is often different from TV dramas like Tiny Times, and is closer to this kind of relationship.

There was no direct competition, nor any public, bloody infighting.

After testing each other, sizing each other up, and analyzing and comparing each other's strengths, they continued to play together.

Soon it was time to leave.

Even if you don't have to get up early for class the next day, board game arcades are not as fun as nightclubs or murder mystery games, and the threshold for people to have a good time is very low.

"I'll call a designated driver!"

The group of six emerged from the board game shop as the moon hung high in the sky.

Liu Zhe's old Audi was parked not far away. He took out his phone and raised his voice.

"We can still drop off three more people. Who wants to come with me?"

Although he didn't get the chance to treat everyone at this gathering, at least for this moment, Liu Zhe looked around at the others, straightened his back, and saved face.

"I'll take a taxi myself. You can give Junjun and Zhou Mingyuan a ride, it's on your way anyway, right?"

The Jiangcheng Conservatory of Music, where Lu Shiya studies, is indeed geographically farther away.

"no, I'm fine."

Zhou Mingyuan smiled and waved his hand, his voice steady: "You all get in the car. Liu Zhe can take you back together, so you don't have to worry about the journey."

“We have someone to pick us up.”

After saying that, he nudged Zhong Yujun beside him with his elbow and left two words.

"Let's go~"

A white seven-seater minivan appeared just in time, and the man pulled Zhong Yujun into it one after the other, ignoring the interesting expressions on everyone's faces.

Friday night, the streets were bustling with the lively atmosphere of everyday life.

Inside the car, however, it remained as quiet as ever.

The female driver remained silent, focusing intently on gripping the steering wheel.

The same applies to the young men and women sitting in the back row.

Upon entering the relatively private car, Zhong Yujun's body tensed instantly, and she lowered her head.

Finally, the ancient gate of Nanhu University came into view.

"Stop, stop, stop."

Zhou Mingyuan broke the silence and raised his hand to stop He Min, who was about to drive into the school.

"No need to go to the dorm, just get off here." "Okay."

He Min blinked, slowed down, and looked obedient.

It's not hard to guess that their boss was clearly still not quite done.

"It'll be a while before closing time, how about we go for a walk on the playground?"

The streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow, their light filtering through the sparse branches and casting shadows of varying depths on the man's face.

"also."

Zhong Yujun nodded, and the other person walked side by side through the familiar tree-lined path, twisting and turning, until they reached the empty South Lake playground.

No matter the time of day, the playground has always been a romantic spot on campus.

Even though not many people come to play football, run, or do pull-ups at this time, there are still quite a few young couples sitting or standing together, snuggling close.

Two shadows, one long and one short, appeared on the edge of the playground between the plastic running tracks.

As we strolled along aimlessly, it was as if the world had been muted.

The scattered lights of ten dormitory buildings in the distance became the only background light, outlining the blurry contours of the playground.

The central lawn resembled a dark abyss, while the running track stretched out in a blurry gray-white hue beneath one's feet.

A gentle evening breeze rustled through the air, carrying a slight chill.

"Were you deliberately targeting me last night?"

Girls are born with a sixth sense.

They possess an innate ability to perceive subtle scenes and unique tensions.

Zhong Yujun didn't know why, but the more she walked, the more memories of the board game store she had just visited flooded her mind.

Those ten seconds were shaky, and every echo made her ears burn, almost melting in the cold winter night wind.

So she quickly found a topic to try and break the silence.

Silence is not awkward, but she is even less able to resist the tension of disorder.

The wind swept past her from the side, and she could even smell the faint scent of his perfume, which made her feel dizzy.

A few sparse, cold stars in the dark blue sky above silently watched the two tiny figures below.

"correct."

Zhou Mingyuan nodded, stopped abruptly, and readily admitted it.

They'll rip you off without hesitation.

Why are you targeting me?!

"That's so mean, it made me lose so many games!"

Zhong Yujun also stopped, stepping onto the soft, rubberized track, and said angrily.

"What do you say?"

Zhou Mingyuan smiled brightly, drawing out his voice, his white teeth standing out clearly in the night.

"Of course I want to see you play games."

"I'm not interested in the other classmates. Whether it's truth or dare, I just want to watch you from the sidelines."

"."

Zhong Yujun pursed her lips, hesitating to speak: "But!"

"Even so, why do you insist on playing a game where both sides suffer heavy losses!"

"You can win on your own. If you want to ask any questions, why don't you punish yourself?"

"I confiscated that flavor myself."

Zhou Mingyuan pointed to the steps not far away, and pulled Zhong Yujun along, walking over with her feet sinking into the deep water. He said this as they walked.

"Putting aside the severity of the punishment, if I were to do it myself, would we still have those ten seconds and Liang Jingjing?"

"you"

When the old story was brought up again, Zhong Yujun immediately caught her breath, and shyness resurfaced in her heart.

This guy!
This guy is actually quite smug, and he seems to be enjoying it?
A dog of a man who pretends to be something he's not.
When I stood up to look at him back then, he pretended to be nonchalant. Now he's finally telling the truth, right?
He was clearly really looking forward to it!
However, we must also acknowledge one fact.

If Zhou Mingyuan himself were to punish himself, it would be like the referee taking an exam, which would be less effective.

There was certainly no thrill or indescribable feeling from that eye contact.

"Eh."

The steps in the corner, far from all streetlights and light sources, sink into the back of the world.

The two sat side by side, the subtle sound of their sleeves rubbing together like sparks in thick air.

"Ok?"

Zhong Yujun turned her head to the side, her chin slightly raised.

"Actually, your acting was really good just now."

"Have it?"

Even in complete darkness, the girl's bright, sparkling eyes were still clearly visible.

"Of course."

Zhou Mingyuan was very serious.

"Even though you were delivering lines that are illogical like those in Korean dramas, you performed them with such heartfelt emotion."

"Who says there's no logic?"

Zhong Yujun's voice was soft, as thin as a whisper, yet it carried a hint of certainty.

"If your eyes are bright enough, or if they reflect the other person's image, they will look like stars, don't you think?"

"I really don't know."

Zhou Mingyuan put on a bewildered expression.

"The time was really too short."

The man reached out with his right hand and hooked it towards the edge of Bai Yueguang's shoulder.

"There were so many people cheering on the side, I was stunned for a moment, and ten seconds passed."

"How about we try again?"

"."

Again?
Want to see if there are stars in your eyes?

Zhong Yujun's heart skipped a beat. Before she could react, a large, well-defined hand landed on her right shoulder.

The other person's movements were very light, yet they seemed to be guiding me; the warmth of their palm was transmitted to me intensely through the thick fabric.

The next moment, the two were shoulder to shoulder again, their eyes meeting.

They actually came!

Zhong Yujun's first reaction was to subconsciously avoid the man's burning gaze.

A few seconds later, her flustered, drooping eyelashes lifted again.

There is no public place.

It was broad daylight. But it wasn't exactly broad daylight.

As night fell, the young couples headed back to their dormitories.

It's just a glance, what's there to hide from!

"Okay."

Zhong Yujun raised her chin slightly to meet the gaze of the person making the pilgrimage.

In the dim light, Zhou Mingyuan's outline was somewhat blurred, but his features were deep and clear.

Long, curled eyelashes, slightly flared nostrils
And those bright, sparkling eyes.

She unconsciously moved closer.

Although this wasn't the first time the two had been this close, Zhong Yujun still felt a little breathless.

My cheeks instantly felt hot, and my heart pounded wildly, its rhythm completely out of control.

“Junjun~”

Zhou Mingyuan doesn't seem to follow the rules very well.

How can you speak at a time like this?
His voice was so deep and hoarse that it sounded unlike his own, as if rough sandpaper was rubbing against his heart.

It possesses a captivating magnetism.

(End of this chapter)