Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 229, Section 227: The Joyful Daily Life of the Shareholders Who Relieve Worries
"It's a liar!"

Despite wearing that terrifying face mask, Zhao Xiaoyan nimbly jumped off the bed and joined the fray.

"They must have gone out for hot pot tonight."

She deliberately sniffed: "Tsk tsk tsk, how could ordinary friends go out for hot pot?"

"not to mention"

"And this doll!"

Liu Jing also came over and pointed to the two dolls in Gu Caiwei's arms.

“Every time Weiwei goes shopping with us, she always manages to bring back at least a few. Why did she only bring back two today?”

"Has it already been sent out?"

She spoke slowly and deliberately, her glasses reflecting a wise light.

"you."

Surrounded by the three people, Gu Caiwei was caught in the eye of a gossip storm, unable to defend herself.

Ring ring ring~
Just then, her bag on the table suddenly rang.

It sounds like a video call ringtone from WeChat.

She breathed a sigh of relief as if she had grasped a lifeline, and hurriedly struggled to break free from the three people's encirclement. She frantically pulled out her phone, and a familiar profile picture was flashing on the screen.

Shh, be quiet, be quiet.

"I need to take this call first."

Gu Caiwei felt like she had been granted a pardon and immediately answered the call, pointing the screen at herself, her voice sweet with relief.

"Hello~"

"I just got back to my dorm, what's up, baby?"

On the other end of the video, Li Zhi appeared to have just taken a shower, wearing a silk robe, her short hair slightly damp and draped around her ears, leaning back on the sofa.

She was applying serum in front of a small mirror on the coffee table, and her bright and beautiful face was still flawless under the front camera of her phone.

"I kept sending you messages but you didn't reply. I wondered what you were up to."

Li Zhi raised an eyebrow, her face expressionless, her tone as usual.

"You really know how to shop! You've been dawdling for ages just checking out new store locations?"

Upon hearing that it was Li Zhi, Liang Jiaqi and the other two immediately lowered their voices in unison, but their excited and gossipy expressions remained unchanged. They exchanged glances and tiptoed away from Gu Caiwei.

But its three pairs of little ears were still standing up high.

"Oh dear, you might not know the situation since you weren't here; there are so many details."

Gu Caiwei glared at her roommates, but couldn't control their gossipy mood, so she could only turn the phone volume down as much as possible.

However, this version of the iPhone has this problem with WeChat call compatibility.

Even with the volume turned down to the lowest setting in a quiet dormitory room, it's impossible to completely block out noise.

My roommates can still hear it.

Immediately afterwards, Li Zhi's slightly lazy Cantonese accent came through clearly.

"Then tell me about it."

What did you all do today?

Gu Caiwei blinked, paused for a few seconds, and then said, "Uh..."

"Of course it's for investigation!"

"I visited every coffee shop in Optics Valley!"

The girl held her phone a little further away, making sure the camera was mainly pointed at her and trying not to capture her roommates' strange expressions. She deliberately raised her voice and spoke faster.

"Let me tell you, there are a few places with excellent locations, such as right across from the main entrance of the World City pedestrian street!"

"The foot traffic is bound to explode!"

"I've done some time-based statistics. From 3 PM to 5 PM is a minor peak for white-collar workers having afternoon tea in the office buildings across the street in the International Plaza, and after 7 PM is a mixed peak."

"The shops here are generally 70-100 square meters. Some locations have good ceiling heights, and you can even build a mezzanine during renovations. The only downside is the rent, which is a bit painful."

"But considering the location and potential customer flow, the ROI model still has a good chance of working!"

She finished speaking in one breath, afraid that Li Zhi would interrupt and ask other questions.

"Wow, Vivi, you really put your heart into this."

Li Zhi tapped the screen with her fingertip and praised the video from the other end.

"It's a good thing I didn't go with you, otherwise it would have definitely lowered the overall efficiency of your inspection."

The short-haired girl smiled gently, drawing out the last syllable.

"You know, if I had to focus on something as tedious as counting people for such a long time, I really couldn't stand it."

"Maybe they'll even take you to other places to play."

"."

Gu Caiwei paused for a few seconds, her eyes somewhat unfocused: "...Actually, no."

"After all, we all invested in starting this business together, so we should put in as much effort as possible. Nobody wants to see Relief Coffee finally get on the right track, only to end up losing money by taking too big a step."

"Of course, work should be done in a balanced way."

"Well, you're right."

In the scene, Li Zhi quickly nodded, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, her gaze glancing at the table behind Gu Caiwei, her tone seemingly casual.

"So these two plush toys on the table are the ones you grabbed on the way here?"

"what?"

Gu Caiwei was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening.

This is a video call!

The prize that her roommates had just been playing with was quietly put back by Liang Jiaqi the moment the video call connected, right in the middle of the table behind her.

It stood out prominently against the clean and tidy table, next to the bag.

"There's an arcade next to the coffee shop, so I went there for a while."

Gu Caiwei spoke vaguely, her soft, sweet voice becoming somewhat tense.

"I remember you really like the dance machine, did you show it off today?"

Li Zhi suddenly chuckled softly and crossed her arms on the screen.

"Hahahaha~"

Gu Caiwei also smiled and said, "You only danced two songs by yourself, and you didn't even dance with me. It wasn't fun at all."

"Also! The claw machines at this arcade in Optics Valley aren't as good as the one we went to last time."

"."

For the rest of the time, Li Zhi listened quietly without interrupting.

They would only nod occasionally or make a sound to indicate that they were listening.

The two chatted about trivial things for a few more minutes before hanging up the video call.

An eerie silence instantly fell over the dormitory room.

The three roommates who had been silently gesturing just moments before were now staring intently at Gu Caiwei, their faces filled with strange expressions.

Sometimes, those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things more clearly.

For some reason, Zhou Mingyuan's name didn't appear at all during Gu Caiwei and Li Zhi's entire conversation.

That's really strange.

However, Gu Caiwei didn't find anything strange at all, and Li Zhi's voice was also calm, occasionally asking questions with a smile.

From the perspectives of Liang Jiaqi, Zhao Xiaoyan, and Liu Jing, this feels incredibly incongruous.

There was something slightly off about every line of dialogue.

As Gu Caiwei's best friend and confidante, Li Zhi showed absolutely no interest in gossip!
She didn't ask Gu Caiwei who she went to the arcade with, nor did she ask about any subsequent events after the arcade.

Even her roommate couldn't help but gossip, so why didn't she pry into the details?

Is this right?
That's really unreasonable!
Even if Li Zhi and Wei Wei are that close, and they run a coffee shop together, they know each other's schedules.

But could it be Li Zhi?
Wasn't she even a little curious? The three of them looked at each other, hesitant to speak, none of them daring to break the silence.

Gu Caiwei finally let out a long sigh, put down her phone, and wearily rubbed her temples, seemingly wanting to pack other things for tomorrow's class.

She has a habit: if she carries a bag today, she won't carry it again tomorrow.

So, Gu Caiwei emptied her Chanel bag and left a jumble of personal items on the table.

Then, she pulled out a small transparent bag from deep inside her bag, carefully opened it, and secretly examined it.

This reignited the gossip spirit in the entire dormitory.

"Tsk tsk tsk"

As Liang Jiaqi stretched and straightened up, she immediately noticed the small item in Gu Caiwei's hand out of the corner of her eye.

She rubbed her eyes and immediately raised her voice.

"Wait! Gu Caiwei! What's that in your hand?"

"Photo booth?"

"Oh my god, it really is! Sisters, come and see!"

Liu Jing pushed up her glasses, a glint of light flashing in the lenses, and shuffled over in her slippers. She grabbed Gu Caiwei's shoulder, snatched the photo booth picture from her hand, and held it high in the bright dormitory light.

"Wow--!!!"

Three screams, loud enough to shatter glass, echoed through the dormitory once again.

"You guys actually went to take some photo booth pictures? That's way too sweet!"

"Sister, please, can I watch this a little longer? It's way more entertaining than the celebrities on dating reality shows!"

The finished product, with the photo booth pictures strung together, was passed around among the roommates, who treated it like a precious treasure.

Logically speaking, this wasn't the first time the roommates had seen Gu Caiwei.

Whether it's the little princess herself, or him taking selfies or group photos with his roommates, it's all quite common.

But taking a photo booth picture with someone of the opposite sex is really something new!
Besides the novelty, everyone found it very interesting, like collectively watching their own sisters gradually fall into the trap of strategy.

Upon seeing the photo, the roommates were immediately certain of this.

The first picture shows Gu Caiwei with a sweet smile, making an adorable peace sign.

The partner next to him, Zhou Mingyuan, stood upright with an expressionless face.

The image resembles a serious bodyguard who has been kidnapped for a photoshoot, making the cherry blossom rain in the background seem particularly incongruous and somewhat comical.

This one seems quite reasonable.

It really fits the image of coffee shop partners being forced to work, with absolutely no ambiguity or subtle atmosphere.

"Pfft, hahaha! Look at his expression! It's hilarious!"

When the photo was handed to Zhao Xiaoyan, she pointed at it and laughed so hard she almost fell over.

The second picture shows Gu Caiwei pouting and leaning closer to Zhou Mingyuan.

The man looked bewildered, his eyes widening slightly. The little devil border in the background, combined with his expression, created a comical effect.

"Haha, look at that bewildered expression. Weiwei is a bit like a pampered young lady from ancient times, who goes against the heavens to snatch a bride from her husband's house."

Liang Jiaqi grinned and slapped her thigh, laughing wildly.

Starting with the third one, the atmosphere changed.

Gu Caiwei turned her head to look at Zhou Mingyuan, her peach blossom eyes sparkling with a lingering smile and a hint of shyness.

The man lowered his head slightly, a smile playing on his lips, his gaze filled with an unprecedented focus and tenderness.

The beautiful cherry blossom background provided the perfect backdrop.

"Damn it, this one!"

Liu Jing held up the third photo, her voice softened, and her eyes behind her glasses were filled with pink bubbles.

The smiles faded, replaced by expressions of serious appreciation.

"It's a pity they're just photo booth pictures, otherwise I feel like I could use them as wallpapers."

"Jingjing, don't believe me, it really works."

"Weiwei's face is absolutely stunning."

"I think the male lead is handsome too!!!"

"His eyes are so captivating! They're practically melting my heart."

Everyone seemed to have skipped over Gu Caiwei; the discussion never stopped.

The female lead, blushing, tried to snatch the photo booth picture, jumping up and down in a panic: "How could it be so exaggerated! Give it back to me!"

"I haven't finished watching it yet~ Wait a little longer, we're already here, we've already watched it."

My roommates laughed and joked, then flipped to the last picture.

This one is the real highlight.

Because the fourth one doesn't look like a photo booth picture at all.

It looks more like a real couple's photo.

The lighting, composition, and the distance between the two people in this photo are all noteworthy.
Intimacy, ambiguity, atmosphere—so intense it's almost palpable.

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

Liang Jiaqi pointed to the fourth photo and let out the loudest scream of the night.

"Gu Caiwei, tell me quickly! Are you two really taking photo booth pictures in this shabby little house?"

How do I feel?

"Bullshit! Don't talk nonsense!"

Surrounded by the three women, Gu Caiwei watched them wave the photos in their hands and listened to her roommates' imaginative yet insightful interpretations. She felt ashamed and indignant, and a blush spread all the way to the back of her ears.

Those details that had been scattered by the evening breeze resurfaced in my mind.

"Give it back to me! You bunch of gossipy, wicked women!"

She angrily lunged at him and snatched the photo.

The small dormitory room of the School of Finance was completely engulfed in a pink storm.

The girls screamed excitedly, cheered exaggeratedly, and their shyness was completely ignited, turning into a carnival with nowhere to hide.

Finally, after a fierce battle, Gu Caiwei successfully retrieved the photo booth picture.

It's hidden deep inside your wallet, in a compartment that no one can find.

The dormitory lights were dimmed, and the roommates, with satisfied gossipy smiles and threats of further interrogation, climbed into bed one by one.

The world seems to have finally quieted down.

Gu Caiwei, however, was wide awake.

She quietly took out her phone and opened WeChat.

In the pinned chat box, the Fruit Princess WeChat group lay quietly.

The last message was the location sent by Zhou Mingyuan before we set off in the afternoon.

My fingertips hovered over the cold screen for a long time, and my emotions were clearly audible in the dead of night.

We did so many things together today!
Not just today.

Gu Caiwei couldn't help but fall into memories.

The warmth of his gentle pats on her back, the touch of his fingertips on hers, and the shoulder pressed tightly against hers, were like countless tiny sparks that ignited a wildfire in her heart.

She stared blankly for several minutes before taking out her phone. After thinking for a moment, she decided to post a meaningful and commemorative message on her WeChat Moments.

There are plenty of images to choose from; it's simple and easy to select them carefully.

Today I visited all sorts of niche coffee shops, and every snapshot I took was a beautiful scene.

Photo booth pictures are definitely not suitable for social media platforms, and for arcades...
Add a photo of Zhou Mingyuan's historical high score on the basketball shooting machine, and then take a group photo of the three dolls' spoils.

Finally, there was the steaming hot pot restaurant at Chaotianmen, with a table full of dishes and Weiyi soy milk.

The copywriting was completed in one go.

—The joyful daily life of shareholders who alleviate their worries.

(End of this chapter)