Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 282, page 280: The Surprise Hidden in the Phone Case

"Eh?"

"Weiwei~"

Li Zhi drew out her words, her gaze sweeping over the brooch on Gu Caiwei's chest again, this time lingering for a fraction of a second longer.

"Ok?"

Gu Caiwei turned her head to respond.

Where did you buy the brooch?

"So lovely."

Li Zhi took two steps forward and leaned over, her tone carrying the usual curiosity between best friends.

“Ah, this one.”

Gu Caiwei's eyes flickered, and the slight flush on her face returned instantly.

She subconsciously touched her chest, glanced quickly at Zhou Mingyuan as if seeking help, and stammered.

"."

"It's a Christmas present I gave them."

Zhou Mingyuan remained calm and replied.

The man was poised and calm, his tone revealing little emotion.

"Oh~"

"A Christmas present."

Li Zhi nodded, brushed a strand of short hair behind her ear, and her smile remained perfect.

"You have good taste. This brooch would look great on a hoodie."

She didn't look at Zhou Mingyuan again, but turned and walked to the table with a pile of soft furnishing samples, naturally changing the subject.

"You're back just in time. What color should we choose for this?"

Seamless turnaround, seamless switch.

It flows smoothly and naturally, without any flaws.

They successfully diffused the slight awkwardness.

Giving gifts isn't scary; the awkward thing is who's absent.

What about my Christmas present?

Li Zhi is not the type of person who would ask questions openly like a best friend.

What if Zhou Mingyuan didn't prepare a Christmas gift for himself?

What if he only intends to give it to Vivi?
In a corner where no one was watching, the short-haired girl gently bit her lip and sighed.

The subsequent supervision work proceeded in an atmosphere that appeared normal but was actually fraught with undercurrents.

Gu Caiwei also felt a little awkward.

You should know that she subtly displayed her cunning while in the car.

Zhou Mingyuan didn't bring a handbag, and he searched all the pockets of his coat.

Besides the brooch I gave myself, what else could I have?

so
For Christmas gifts, Zhou Mingyuan only prepared one for himself?
This is too.
The usually shrewd and worldly-wise Gu Caiwei found herself at a loss for words to describe her feelings.

She tried to act as usual, but she couldn't help but keep an eye on the man's every move.

While Zhou Mingyuan and the foreman were discussing circuit problems in the corner, she would pretend to tidy up the nearby decorations, but her ears would be perked up.

As Zhou Mingyuan rolled up his sleeves and personally adjusted the slightly unstable cabinet door hinges, the smooth muscle lines of his forearms and his focused expression captivated her, until Li Zhi's voice rang out beside her.

"Vivi?"

"oh oh!"

She suddenly realized what was happening, her face flushed, and she hurriedly answered.

Li Zhi took in Gu Caiwei's subtle reactions.

As expected.
Throughout the long time they were inside, Zhou Mingyuan hadn't mentioned anything about Christmas gifts.

If not, then there won’t be.

On the surface, she appeared calm and collected, but inside she was experiencing a mix of emotions, and she lowered her head, trying to hide in a corner.

Until a few minutes later.

Li Zhi squatted on the ground, carefully checking the color codes of the tiles laid on the ground against the design drawings. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and she was extremely focused.

The light beige cashmere sweater made her neck look long and slender, and her profile, reminiscent of a Hong Kong star, was illuminated by the light, her eyes and brows exuding a quiet and aloof charm.

The man walked over without making a sound.

"How about it?"

"You've been staring at it for so long, is there a color difference?"

Zhou Mingyuan squatted down next to the short-haired girl.

"It seems so, maybe a little."

Li Zhi didn't look up. She pointed to the number on the drawing and compared it with the actual object, then said softly.

"The actual product seems to be a few shades cooler than the sample. When applied over a large area, it may appear a bit bluish under warm light."

"Let me see."

Zhou Mingyuan picked up another sample, pretending to compare it carefully, but actually quickly glanced around with his peripheral vision.

Gu Caiwei was still holding her phone not far away, taking pictures with her back to them, clearly immersed in her role as director.

"Yes, it is a little different."

Zhou Mingyuan nodded and pointed in the direction of the foreman.

"This problem needs to be solved."

“Let’s go out and take a look. I remember there’s a sample file on Mr. Wang’s car. Let’s compare it and see if the supplier sent the wrong goods.”

This reason is flawless.

Checking material samples is a normal procedure for project supervisors, and it involves potential supplier errors, so it needs to be handled with care.

"."

Li Zhi finally raised her head and glanced at Zhou Mingyuan.

However, she didn't ask anything. She simply took off her disposable gloves, clapped her hands, and stood up.

"it is good."

Zhou Mingyuan also stood up, greeted Gu Caiwei, and indicated that he and Li Zhi would go out to check the tile samples.

Gu Caiwei was engrossed in taking pictures and didn't even turn her head. She simply gave an OK sign to indicate that everything was fine.

The two walked out of the noisy renovation area one after the other, closed the shop door, and locked the deafening noise behind them.

The afternoon sun in winter brought warmth, shining on the crowded streets of Optics Valley World City.

Tourists were still taking photos under the giant Christmas tree, and their laughter could be faintly heard, creating a world apart from the store.

The two remained silent for a short distance outside the shop.

Zhou Mingyuan walked half a step ahead, with Li Zhi following behind, maintaining a just-right distance.

As she looked at Zhou Mingyuan's tall and straight back, her doubts grew stronger.

What about the tiles?
Where are the samples?
What did he want by calling me out?
Immediately afterwards, Zhou Mingyuan turned his head away, showing no intention of walking towards the parking lot, but instead smiled at himself, revealing eight white teeth.

"Just now was just an excuse."

"I called you out here, not to compare tile samples."

The man was open, honest, and straightforward.

"Oh."

Li Zhi nodded, her face showing no surprise.

She simply watched him quietly, waiting for him to continue.

Here's a Christmas present for you~

Zhou Mingyuan said with a smile.

But he looked empty-handed, not even wearing a coat.

Where is the gift?
Is this just empty promises?
Li Zhi stood there, the midday wind blowing her bangs aside, revealing a corner of her delicate skin.

The man didn't take anything out of his pocket; instead, he waved his phone at her.

The latest Apple product is encased in a black matte protective case, looking plain and unremarkable.

Li Zhi's gaze followed his movements, her doubts growing stronger.

Is the gift a cell phone?
He knows perfectly well that he and I are essentially the same type of Apple product.

This is obviously impossible.

The next second, Zhou Mingyuan's actions answered her curiosity.

With a slender finger gently prying at the edge of the phone case, the seemingly one-piece protective case actually loosened and opened up with a gap.

Zhou Mingyuan skillfully took the phone out of its case.

Then, Li Zhi watched as he unfolded two long, thin cards from the compartment between his phone and the protective case.

Beautifully printed little cards.

What is this?
Zhou Mingyuan carefully pulled out the two cards with his fingertips.

They weren't cards, they were two tickets.

Even from a distance, Li Zhi could clearly see the prominent words on it. [Eason Chan "FEAR and DREAMS" World Tour Concert - Hangzhou Station]

And the performance date is January x, 2015.

ha?
this.
Li Zhi's eyes widened instantly. She felt as if her heart was being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, and then suddenly released. Blood rushed to her limbs and bones, bringing a slight dizziness.

Surprise.

A complete and utter surprise.

This is Eason Chan!
Her favorite male singer, perhaps without a doubt.

Similarly, Li Zhi knew from the beginning that Zhou Mingyuan also had a special affection for Eason Chan.

The memory goes back to the summer of September, when he and she were interning together at the Hongshan District Court.

The dull case filing office, the uninteresting filing cabinets, the smell of ink and old paper mixed together.

The afternoon sun streamed through the tall windows, casting quiet beams of light into the air.

Zhou Mingyuan always stood in front of her, helping her get food from the cafeteria despite her slight social anxiety, and helping her with all sorts of small talk.

While other interns might be slacking off or gossiping, she and Zhou Mingyuan would always tacitly go to a quiet corner by the window after dinner.

He would take a white earphone out of his pocket, skillfully split the earphone cord in two, and hand her one of them.

The cool plastic earplugs are inserted into the ear canal, and the sound flows in the next second.

Eighty percent or even ninety percent of them would be Eason Chan.

Eason Chan's unique and magnetic voice accompanied the two of them for most of the summer.

"The two of us, riding our bicycles, were locked in a tight embrace..."

This is "Bicycle".

"If this chandelier were to pour down, perhaps I would no longer exist..."

This is "Next Year Today".

"Who would believe in such a superficial statement as 'a lifetime'..."

This is "King of Karaoke".

Ultimately, the two rarely spoke in the afternoon, but simply sat side by side, each looking at the case files in their hands or gazing out the window at the lush sycamore trees in the courthouse courtyard.

The headphone cord was short, so he and she had to stand very close, close enough to hear each other's soft breathing and feel the faint warmth from each other's arms.

Shared music, like a hidden river, silently nurtures intimacy beyond colleagues in a summer filled with legal statutes and real-world rules.

It's based on similar tastes and a resonance deep within the soul; it's a tacit understanding that needs no words.

Zhou Mingyuan would raise an eyebrow slightly because of a certain lyric, and she would smile broadly because of a certain melody.

The hour-plus lunch break is a precious, unspoken moment of tenderness amidst their busy internships.

Although Zhou Mingyuan and Li Zhi became good friends after their internships ended, they returned to campus life and were busy on different paths.

But that memory of shared headphones, like the cicadas chirping that summer, has gradually faded away and sunk into the depths of my heart.

It became an anchor point known only to the two of them.

Li Zhi never imagined that Zhou Mingyuan would remember.

I never imagined that he would retrieve this memory in such a way and give it such a heart-wrenching meaning.

Hangcheng.

next year.

Eason Chan.

The combination of these three words, delivered on Christmas Day, was like a heavy stone thrown into Li Zhi's heart.

thump.

A thunderous roar rose in my heart.

Zhou Mingyuan handed the two tickets to Li Zhi.

"Here."

He paused, gazing intently at her as if trying to see into her heart.

"Hangzhou isn't far, so I'll just treat it as a vacation."

Li Zhi did not answer immediately.

She just stared blankly at the two tickets, feeling her eyes getting hot and her vision blurring slightly.

She forced back the sob in her throat, took a deep breath, and the cold air entering her lungs calmed her down a little.

"you……"

"How did you manage to snag those tickets? I heard they sold out in seconds."

"I'm lucky."

The man's lips curled slightly upwards.

"I pulled some strings and got lucky."

He spoke casually, but Lai Chi knew that tickets for Eason Chan's concerts at the end of the year, especially good seats, were not easy to get.

She finally reached out, her fingertips touching the smooth surface of the ticket.

The cool touch felt like an electric current, shooting from my fingertips all the way to my heart.

She took the ticket and carefully looked at the information on it—front section of the inner field, adjacent seats.

"Two tickets..."

Li Zhi raised her eyes and looked at Zhou Mingyuan, hesitating to speak.

She wanted to know, for whom was the other ticket reserved?

Is it him?

still is……

Zhou Mingyuan met her gaze without flinching and said frankly, "One of them is yours."

"The other one is up to you."

“You can ask Vivi to come along, or you can invite anyone you want to go to the concert with.”

He didn't say "Let's go together," but instead gave her the complete choice.

Is this a sign of respect, or... a test?
Li Zhi's heart began to pound again.

She gripped the ticket tightly in her hand; the thin piece of paper felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

She understood what Zhou Mingyuan meant.

This gift is not only a thank you for her past hard work, nor just a recollection of that shared memory, but also a silent inquiry and an invitation to possibilities.

They went to Hangzhou to attend a concert by their favorite singer...

The implications of this are both too obvious and too dangerous.

A deeper silence fell over the air than before.

Only the soft breathing of the two of them mingled together.

Sunlight danced on the two tickets, making Eason Chan's profile stand out exceptionally clearly.

In an instant, countless images flashed through the short-haired girl's mind.

A quiet afternoon at the courthouse, the aroma of food in the cafeteria, the gossip of colleagues, and shared headphone wires.
In the last frame, the eye-catching gray diamond brooch on the best friend's chest pops out.

She clutched the ticket tightly in her hand, her fingertips turning slightly white.

She looked up after more than ten seconds, glancing at Zhou Mingyuan with her cherry lips slightly pursed.

"Thanks."

Li Zhi raised her chin.

"Thank you for such a thoughtful gift."

She hesitated for a few seconds, as if she had used up all her strength, before continuing.

"I will think about it carefully."

She neither said she would go nor she said she wouldn't go.

"Thinking this over carefully" is itself a response.

Zhou Mingyuan looked at her, seemingly trying to read more information from her face, but Li Zhi had already lowered her head, folded the two tickets in half, and then carefully put them into the inside pocket of her shirt.

This subtle gesture speaks louder than a thousand words.

"it is good."

Zhou Mingyuan's gaze softened, and he nodded gently.

There's no need to say anything more.

Everything that needed to be expressed has been expressed.

What was due has been received.

"We should go back."

Li Zhi took a deep breath, her tone returning to its usual cool and aloof tone, as if the moment when she had just revealed her emotions had never happened.

Only her slightly reddened eyes and still tightly pursed lips betrayed her inner turmoil.

"Okay."

On the way back, the two remained silent.

But this silence was completely different from the one that followed.

They arrived with a deliberate air of distance and a business-like pretext, but now, a palpable tension is palpable in the air.

(End of this chapter)