Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 277, page 275: You're overthinking it.

Unit 1, Room 501, Building A2, Shanshui Huating.

Tonight, the room is filled with a faint sweet fragrance, and the heating is on full blast, dispelling the chill of the winter night.

The sound of water dripping from the bathroom stopped after a few seconds.

A moment later, the whistling sound of a Dyson hairdryer could be heard.

Li Zhi, who had just returned home, was holding a soft plush toy in her arms and silently counting down the time.

Compared to myself, my best friend's thick, beautiful hair always takes a lot longer to blow-dry; it definitely takes at least fifteen minutes.

Don't know why.

The short-haired girl felt inexplicably irritable.

Perhaps it was the strong aftereffects of the drinks at tonight's party, perhaps it was everyone being too engrossed in the celebration, or perhaps it was catching a glimpse of someone's other side.
My throat is dry.

Li Zhi walked barefoot on the soft carpet to the small refrigerator and opened the door.

In the refrigerator, on the left are their usual sparkling water and yogurt, and on the right are a few bottles of niche craft beer that she recently bought out of curiosity.

The bottles are adorned with artistic labels of various styles, adding an air of mystery under the light.

Without much hesitation, Li Zhi skipped the drinks on the left and directly pulled out a bottle of triple IPA called Ghost Captain from the right.

The girl tiptoed and removed the cartoon bottle opener that was attached to the side of the refrigerator. With a soft "pop," the bottle cap fell off.

When the wine is poured into a glass, it immediately produces a rich, dense foam that is as delicate and long-lasting as cream.

She leaned in and took a sniff; the intense and complex hop aroma exploded out, carrying a highly aggressive bitter scent.

The next second, Li Zhi felt a sudden impulse, squinted her eyes, and took a big gulp.

"hiss"

The aroma washes over your taste buds, rushing straight to the top of your head.

so bitter!

Why is it so bitter?
She couldn't help but take a deep breath; this was completely different from the fruit juices she usually drank and the alcoholic beverages at parties.

The purest flavor instantly refreshes you.

However, this intense sensory stimulation strangely relieved the restless unease in my heart.

"Baby~ What are you doing?"

The bathroom door was pushed open.

Gu Caiwei tilted her head, wrapped her wet hair in an extra-large white towel, and was applying hair oil to the ends of her hair with one hand.

She blinked and looked at Li Zhi, who was standing by the refrigerator with a wine glass in her hand, her eyes full of surprise.

"Didn't you just go to a party? Haven't you had enough to drink yet?"

"What strange drink have you been sneaking a sip of this time?"

The rich aroma of hops in the air piqued her curiosity.

"Hmm, I'm a little thirsty."

Li Zhi's eyes darted around for a moment, and she subconsciously tried to hide the wine glass behind her back.

"Drink hot water if you're thirsty!"

Gu Caiwei walked over in a few steps, saw the thick foam in her cup, and took the cup without saying a word. With her other hand, she pushed Li Zhi towards the bathroom.

"Go take a shower! You're all chilled; you'll catch a cold!"

There's only a little bit of the strong IPA left in the cup.

Gu Caiwei is, of course, also a curious child.

First, she brought the glass close to her nose and smelled it, then tilted her graceful swan neck back and drank the remaining liquid in one gulp.

Soon, her delicate and bright face scrunched up, and she stuck out her tongue and kept panting.

"Li Zhi!!!"

Is this beer?

"This is so bitter! It's even more bitter than my life!"

She quickly grabbed the oolong tea on the table and took several gulps to wash away the strange taste in her mouth.

By the time Li Zhi finished showering, dried her neat short hair, and changed into a soft, light purple coral fleece pajama set, Gu Caiwei was already comfortably nestled in bed.

Only a single orange-yellow planet-shaped bedside lamp remained, casting its light on the edge of her profile.

My best friend was holding her phone, typing rapidly with her fingers, a smile playing on her lips.

"Baby! Come here quickly!"

Hearing the noise, Gu Caiwei immediately looked up and patted the empty seat next to her with a smile.

"Help me look at these photos, I'm having so much trouble choosing!"

She put down her phone, rested her chin on her hands, and lay face down on the blanket.

Under the moonlight, Gu Caiwei was only wearing a silk slip dress.

The champagne color accentuated her jade-like skin, defined shoulder line, and delicate collarbone, making her exceptionally alluring in the warm light.

A relaxed home, and best friends who are as close as sisters.

So at this moment, the skirt hem also shrank up without any hesitation.

A pair of straight, shapely legs were exposed, swaying back and forth, with toes painted with shiny nude nail polish, one or two like plump pearls.

Li Zhi dried her hair and walked over, sitting down next to her. Their heads naturally came together, their hair mingling with the same sweet fragrance.

"This one, this one, and this one—how about we make a nine-square grid? Wouldn't that be too much of a spam post?"

Gu Caiwei scrolled through her phone's photo album.

The two sisters were busy all day, starting from noon on Christmas Eve and taking countless photos.

We went to a famous Christmas-themed afternoon tea place in the city center, then went shopping and bought some new limited-edition makeup. We didn't part ways until the evening.

Li Zhi had something to do, so her supervising lawyer invited her to a party together.

"This photo looks great~ The lighting makes your skin look amazing."

Li Zhi held up her finger and said.

I have to say, every single one of the nine photos my best friend selected was beautiful.

It captured the beauty of the entire Christmas Eve.

There was a beautifully decorated dessert table, photos of the spoils of cosmetics, and a side profile of himself resembling a Hong Kong star, all captured by Gu Caiwei with a great sense of atmosphere.

"Then I'll just post it like that, okay?"

Gu Caiwei confirmed one last time: "No need to edit the photo anymore?"

"Don't worry, it looks great!"

Li Zhi nodded vigorously.

After consulting her best friend, the atmosphere returned to a warm and peaceful state.

After posting on her WeChat Moments, Gu Caiwei leaned against her headboard and habitually swiped down the screen to refresh her feed.

She scrolled contentedly through the rapidly growing likes and comments on her WeChat Moments, occasionally replying with a few words, a sweet smile always playing on her lips.

"Eh?"

Suddenly, the girl gasped softly, her fingers swiping the screen paused for a moment, her tone filled with surprise and delight.

"what's wrong?"

Li Zhi was also playing on her phone, not even looking up, when she casually asked a question.

Guess what I saw?

Gu Caiwei pursed her lips and drew out her voice.

"what?"

The short-haired girl pressed for an answer.

"Posted on the official WeChat account of Nanhu University".

Gu Caiwei clicked on an article that was inconspicuously located at the very bottom of the WeChat official account, but it was a newly published article.

The title is typical of sensationalist headlines.

[Live from the scene! The Christmas Eve party at Nanhu University was absolutely amazing!]

"It's just an event press release, you're moving so fast, what's the big deal?"

Li Zhi rubbed her eyes, her expression nonchalant.

"Click on it and take a look!"

"."

The short-haired girl picked up the phone and browsed it with great interest. The article contained many photos of the scene, capturing moments of joy and laughter from many people.

"The photos are actually quite good."

The sound and the line of sight are almost frozen in the same frame.

Li Zhi's fingers, which were swiping the screen, stopped, and the smile on her face began to fade.

"See?" Gu Caiwei crossed her arms, a smile that was hard to decipher.

That was the image accompanying a text and image message.

The photo captures the "Lucky Star for Solving Worries" drawing session at Nanhu University's Christmas Eve Carnival tonight.

The man in the very center of the picture looks extremely familiar.

He was all smiles as he handed several beautifully packaged gift boxes to a girl on stage.

The girl was tall and stood in the center of the stage, seemingly surrounded by stars, her whole being radiant.

Another familiar face.

The camera captured the moment the two shook hands.

"."

Gu Caiwei zoomed in on the image, staring at the pixels for several seconds without saying a word.

The text wasn't particularly interesting, but in the still photo, the image was frozen and magnified, and Zhou Mingyuan's smile seemed to be given a different meaning.

"This girl looks familiar."

Li Zhi also noticed everything.

"Um"

Gu Caiwei gave a vague reply and continued to scroll down the page, but her attention was clearly no longer focused.

"It should be his high school classmate, the one who shared a dorm room with Zhao Xue."

"I came here when our coffee shop opened."

"Oh right, right! As expected of you, Vivi, your memory is really good."

Li Zhi slapped her thigh, suddenly realizing what was going on.

"But how could she win the grand prize?"

"Don't you find it very strange?"

Gu Caiwei rested her chin on her hand, her peach blossom eyes brimming with light.

"Is it weird?"

"Very strange!"

It was obvious that her best friend didn't think so, and Gu Caiwei couldn't help but add more.

"This carnival is sponsored by Jieyou Media, and Zhou Mingyuan is a sponsor. And yet, she's the lucky winner. They know each other!"

"So what if we know each other?"

Li Zhi still lacked the other person's all-pervasive keenness.

"It could be inside information!"

"Maybe Zhou Mingyuan wanted to give her a Christmas Eve gift, then deliberately organized some kind of lottery event, arranged for someone to rig it behind the scenes, and finally let her win the grand prize, and then personally went on stage to present the award to her."

"Look, look, there are so many prizes!"

"I have headphones, a power bank, and an iPhone 6 Plus!"

Gu Caiwei puffed out her chest and spoke rapidly, like a machine gun.

"."

Although her tone didn't reveal much emotion, Li Zhi still felt something was off.
My best friend's tone of voice was a little off.

So she didn't reply, letting the air remain silent for a few seconds, until Gu Caiwei continued to press her for answers.

Don't you think so?

"I think you're being too sensitive, Vivi?"

You're overthinking it!

The short-haired girl put her arm around Gu Caiwei's, smiled, and pressed herself against her, pinching the tip of her pert nose.

"Do you think this is writing a novel?"

"Making a plate of dumplings just for a dish of vinegar?"

"Zhou Mingyuan said in the group that as a sponsor, he would only make an appearance and then go to accompany the brand representatives in the evening."

Do you know what happened at the Christmas Eve party I attended?

"He was the one who spearheaded the party, arranging for people from the company to organize it. It was an exceptionally grand and spectacular event!"

"Please, you're so smart, think about it carefully."

"With such a packed schedule, how could he have time for romance?"

Li Zhi shrugged, recalling what she had seen and heard at the banquet, and spoke earnestly.

She was almost 100% certain that her best friend was worrying unnecessarily.

"."

Gu Caiwei bit her lip, lost in thought.

"really?"

"nonsense!"

The two sisters were pressed together, so close that even the fragrance of their breath seemed to melt into the air.

"Oh right, I forgot to ask."

"Then tell me, was that party fun?"

Gu Caiwei's attention was indeed drawn back.

She put down her phone, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Is it really necessary to use the word 'extraordinarily grand'?"

"People from his company. That's why you see so many online celebrities at Jieyou Media, right? Aren't they all super good-looking?"

"Any interesting insider gossip? I'm so curious!"

Gu Caiwei is Gu Caiwei.

The clever little princess quickly put aside her subtle emotions within seconds, grasped the key point, and eagerly pressed for answers.

They unconsciously sat up straight, as if ready to listen to a story.

"The venue is really luxurious."

Looking at her radiant face, Li Zhi smiled inwardly and began to describe her.

"I don't know how much thought and effort he put in. This time, Douyu sponsored the whole thing at the Shuimo Jiangnan Club."

"The panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of most of the riverbank at night, the crystal chandeliers are enormous, and there are flowers and champagne towers everywhere."

The short-haired girl carefully chose her words.

"I've met a lot of online celebrities, and they are indeed a bit different in real life from their online personas."

"Some people are very refined, with impeccable bone structure and skin, but perhaps because they are too thin, their aura is not as impactful as it is in videos; others are very charming and always the focus of social interaction."

Li Zhi concluded.

"That's really exaggerated!"

Gu Caiwei lowered her voice, her curiosity tinged with a shy excitement.

"Yes."

The short-haired girl nodded.

"This is my first time dealing with people from Jieyou Media. I feel that this industry is more realistic and faster-paced. The connections between people are often based on value and interests."

"Because I overheard some snippets of gossip and small tidbits!"

"For example, two female bloggers with similar styles and positioning may appear to be holding hands and smiling at each other in a photo, but the subtle competition and rivalry when their eyes meet can almost spark a flame."

"Anyway, on the surface it's all glamorous and peaceful, but underneath everyone seems to be working hard for their own interests and goals."

Gu Caiwei listened intently.

"Moreover, to sum it up in four words, it's full of beautiful women."

Li Zhi changed the subject slightly and added.

"We have all kinds of styles."

"Many of them have a bright and elegant look, a pure and lovely look, an intellectual and elegant look, a cool and edgy look, or even an internet celebrity face. They are as delicate as dolls."

"Like that high school classmate you just mentioned, she's pretty, but not to the point of outshining everyone else."

She paused here, glancing at Gu Caiwei seemingly unintentionally.

Then he continued.

So, I was thinking...

"As the big boss of Jieyou Media, Zhou Mingyuan has probably seen countless beautiful women in this kind of environment."

"If he really wanted to be particularly nice to someone, or had some other idea, the range of choices he could make would be huge, he'd probably be spoiled for choice."

"Why would he possibly resort to underhanded tactics to curry favor at a small party at school?"

(End of this chapter)