Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 285, Section 283: The Taste of Envy

Room 501, Law School Freshman Dormitory, Nanhu University.

The hustle and bustle of Christmas Eve gradually subsided, leaving only the full moon high overhead and the occasional sound of a car horn in the distance.

Zhou Mingyuan pushed open the door. The dormitory room was brightly lit; it wasn't lights out yet.

After all, a festival is only truly celebrated when it's lively and bustling. Xiong Yao and Yu Feiyang sat together, locked in a fierce battle in front of their computer screens, their fingers striking the keyboard like drumbeats on a battlefield.

The bed near the door was empty; that was Cai Zhipeng's spot.

Needless to say, he and Zhao Xue spent this Christmas Eve enjoying some alone time together.

"What's going on, Lao Zhou? He actually came back tonight?"

Yu Feiyang had just finished a game of Dota 2 when he caught a glimpse of Zhou Mingyuan out of the corner of his eye. He immediately took off his headphones, and his loud voice broke the silence.

"I thought it was just the two of us brothers in room 501 tonight."

Xiong Yao also winked and made faces, looking mischievous.

"My dorm room is my home."

Zhou Mingyuan smiled and agreed, taking off his coat and hanging it in the closet.

Then, he carried a large backpack to his desk and began to slowly take things out of it.

Each item taken out is like unveiling a layer of mystery.

Yu Feiyang and Xiong Yao couldn't help but turn their attention to it, their pupils growing larger and larger.

Not only did the celebrity guy in my dorm not go out overnight, but he also brought back a huge backpack.

Could it be a Christmas present?
Who wouldn’t be curious about this?

"Brother Zhou, what is this?"

"A Christmas present."

Zhou Mingyuan unzipped his backpack and said casually.

The first item to appear was a light beige paper bag with no brand logo, making it exceptionally understated.

"It seems quite down-to-earth."

Xiong Yao and Yu Feiyang huddled over, peering around curiously.

The next second, Zhou Mingyuan took out a neatly folded scarf from the paper bag.

With its light, warm color scheme and fine, even stitches, it lacks the neat, orderly look of a factory product. You can immediately tell it's a handmade product just by looking at the patterns and designs.

"Wow, this is so thoughtful!"

"It's a hand-knitted scarf!"

Xiong Yao looked at him for his opinion, then took the scarf and gently stroked it.

"Sure, Brother Zhou!"

"This gift is quite ingenious; it looks like it would take at least half a month to make."

He was a boy from Sichuan and Chongqing who was used to doing housework, so he was very familiar with these things, and his tone naturally carried undisguised envy.

Yu Feiyang also took a closer look and offered an objective evaluation.

"I've only ever seen girls knitting scarves for people in romance novels."

"Brother Zhou is awesome."

"It's alright, it was a gift from Yunyun."

Zhou Mingyuan smiled, took the scarf, and carefully put it back in the paper bag with gentle movements.

"Wow, I'm even more envious now!"

"Old Zhou, you deserve to die! Damn it, that beautiful woman worked so hard to knit you a scarf. Oh well, considering the Christmas gift you gave her was also a surprise and romantic enough, this is a win-win situation."

"Big Bear is absolutely right."

The two roommates were extremely envious, exclaiming to each other.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Mingyuan took out a larger hard-shell gift box.

It looks simple in design, but it exudes a sense of sophistication in every detail.

The box is a deep navy blue with only the Giorgio Armani logo in silver foil, which shimmers under the light.

"What is this?"

Xiong Yao's eyes widened instantly.

"It's a Christmas present, too."

Zhou Mingyuan opened the box with a smile, clearly in a very good mood.

That's right.

Of course, holidays should have a sense of ritual.

After dropping the two sisters off at Shanshui Huating, he spent a little time taking the Christmas gifts he had received over the past two days out of the trunk of his car and putting them all into his backpack.

"."

As the man opened the box, Xiong Yao and Yu Feiyang watched intently.

Inside the box, lined with black velvet, lay a Giorgio Armani Prive haute couture suit.

The deep midnight blue color and the fabric, a blend of top-quality wool and silk, still exude a sense of elegance and luxury under the incandescent light of the dormitory.

A custom-made shirt was also worn alongside it.

"Holy crap! Armani haute couture?!"

Although Yu Feiyang can't be considered a fashion icon, she has read quite a bit of youth literature, and Armani's name is certainly very well-known to her.

He leaned closer to look at the English words, and almost bit his tongue after spelling them out.

"Brother Zhou, which fairy goddess sent this again?"

"This was a gift from Nuonuo."

Zhou Mingyuan gave the answer with a smile.

"No wonder!"

Xiong Yao and Yu Feiyang exchanged a glance, their voices rising eight octaves. They circled the suit, wanting to reach out and touch the fabric that looked expensive, but then sheepishly withdrew their hands.

Du Jianuo.

If Du Jianuo sends it, then there's no problem.

Not only is the senior student the top star at Jieyou Media, but she also drives a Porsche Boxster for her daily commute, which is incredibly stylish.

She definitely has the financial means to give gifts of this caliber.

"That's enough for so many internet cafe trips and so many barbecue meals!"

"Clothes make the man, and my senior is quite knowledgeable about fashion, so it's perfectly reasonable for her to give this to Lao Zhou."

The two single guys were practically drooling as they looked at Zhou Mingyuan.

"It's not bad."

Zhou Mingyuan shook out the clothes, tried on the size, and then gently closed the box lid.

It has to be said that the senior sister truly understands his body the most, without exception at this stage.

She didn't need to ask about a man's physique or size; she just made her move and won him over.

suitable!
It's like a tailor-made solution!

Next, Zhou Mingyuan took out two hardcover books from his backpack.

The book cover design is simple, yet exudes a sense of academic gravitas.

One is Georges Bataille's *Inner Experience*, and the other is Ponty's *Phenomenology of Perception*.

"Eh?"

"Brother Zhou, is this bag a treasure chest?"

"Could this also be a Christmas present?"

Xiong Yao's eyes lit up, and he leaned over to flip through it, asking curiously.

"Yes, this was a gift from someone else."

Zhou Mingyuan neither agreed nor disagreed.

"The book is good. It's just that compared to the Armani set I saw earlier, it seems a bit..."

Yu Feiyang hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"What the hell do you know, Fatty?"

Before Zhou Mingyuan could speak, Xiong Yao was the first to disagree.

"A gift is an expression of sentiment, and it can't be measured by its monetary value. Aren't you being tacky?"

"In my view, this is a form of hard currency on a spiritual level!"

"Fine, fine, you're so high and mighty, you're awesome."

Yu Feiyang was speechless, staring at Zhou Mingyuan's backpack and the man's next move.

It looks like there's something else in the backpack.

Why are there so many gifts?

Are there any experts?

Seeing Zhou Mingyuan pause for a moment, he felt around along the inner pocket of the backpack.

They actually pulled out a velvet square box.

The high-quality feel of the box itself already foreshadows the extraordinary nature of the items inside.

"Old Zhou, let me tell you the truth."

"Isn't this a bit excessive?" "Are you buying new stock for the holiday?! So many gifts, damn it."

Xiong Yao and Yu Feiyang were practically on the verge of losing their composure.

But what's even more damaging is yet to come.

Zhou Mingyuan slowly opened the small velvet box, and in an instant, the air in the dormitory froze.

Nestled in the embrace of black velvet is a Rolex Submariner Date watch.

16610LN, commonly known as the Black Water Ghost.

"."

This time, Yu Feiyang couldn't help but gasp, take off his glasses, and rub his eyes repeatedly.

"Fuck me!"

After seeing the watch face clearly, he exploded on the spot, swearing out profanities.

"A Rolex? A Submariner!!!"

Yu Feiyang pointed at the watch, his fingers trembling, and he spoke incoherently.

"Brother Zhou, this...this is also a Christmas present?"

Zhou Mingyuan nodded and hummed in agreement, confirming this fact that would make any man's heart skip a beat.

"A gift from my coffee shop partner."

Case solved.

Now the case is solved.

It was a gift from Gu Caiwei.

The rich girl who drives a red BMW Z4 and started her business with Zhou Mingyuan early on.

"That's an exaggeration. It's really an exaggeration."

Xiong Yao was a little slow to realize what was going on. After checking the price on his phone, he circled the watch, his face flushed with excitement, as if he were looking at a sacred object.

"It's good to be rich. This isn't just a gift, it's a way of showing your true feelings by throwing money at people!"

"Brother Zhou, what kind of bewitching potion did you give her?"

The dormitory was filled with a sense of bewilderment and fervor after their values ​​were shaken.

Xiong Yao stared blankly at the gifts lined up on the table, without saying a word.

From a heartfelt hand-knitted scarf to a sophisticated Armani haute couture piece, and then to this status symbol for men, the expressions on his face were incredibly complex.

"A scarf is a haven of comfort, a suit is a path to success, and a black water tank is... well, it's the whole world as a dowry!"

Xiong Yao concluded in an almost lamenting tone, his eyes filled with adoration as he looked at Zhou Mingyuan.

"Brother Zhou, please teach me! I'll listen on my knees!"

"Is that all the gifts?"

"It's gone, the bag is empty, it's probably gone."

Yu Feiyang stood up and glanced into his backpack.

Just as the atmosphere in the dormitory reached its peak, and the two roommates thought that tonight's gift expo had reached its climax and was enough for them to digest for a whole year, Zhou Mingyuan slapped his forehead.

"Damn, I remember now!"

Half a day passed, and Yu Feiyang and Xiong Yao still couldn't get any information out of Zhou Mingyuan about what he had remembered.

He turned his back to the two of them and operated the computer for a while, then turned around with a smile.

"Hey guys, it's a holiday, how about we play a couple of rounds?"

Zhou Mingyuan logged into the Steam platform with ease and clicked on the familiar knife-shaped icon for Dota 2.

"Great! We really didn't get enough of that just now."

Xiong Yao was the first to respond; games are his best way to regulate his emotions.

He immediately darted back to his seat, quickly opened the client app, and kept shouting.

"I was just blinded by a bunch of gifts, I need to play a carry role to calm down and kill some more."

The three quickly formed a team and entered the matchmaking queue.

While waiting, Yu Feiyang continued to chatter on and on.

"To be honest, Lao Zhou, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it if someone told me."

"So many gifts, and they were so thoughtful and expensive."

As he spoke, he shook his head, as if he was still processing the shock he had just experienced.

The game was quickly matched, and we entered the hero selection screen.

The familiar background music begins, temporarily isolating us from the hustle and bustle of the real world.

The three players chose their heroes according to their respective positions and preferences. Zhou Mingyuan played Shadow Fiend, a mid-lane hero he was good at, Xiong Yao chose Master Yi, and Yu Feiyang picked Lich, a relatively safe support hero.

Once the loading bar is complete, the game officially begins.

"Let's get started! Fatty, buy some chicken!"

Xiong Yao's voice was loud and clear.

In the early stages of Dota 2, purchasing a courier (commonly known as a "chicken") to deliver items was standard practice for teams.

Almost simultaneously, Zhou Mingyuan and Yu Feiyang both opened the base's shop interface.

However, just as Yu Feiyang was about to click to buy the messenger as usual, his mouse pointer suddenly stopped.

I was frozen in front of the screen, as if I had been frozen in place.

Because, in the center of the screen, in the fountain belonging to their Radiant Legion, the plain brown chick did not appear.

Instead, there is a messenger badger with a dreamy pink and white body, surrounded by ethereal special effects like a nebula vortex, and with a憨厚 and cute appearance.

"I'll buy it."

Someone got there first and bought the messenger.

"Holy shit!!!!"

A scream that could blow the roof off, and was utterly unbelievable, burst from Xiong Yao's throat.

He was like a rocket whose tail had been set on fire, suddenly leaping up from his chair, even losing half of his headphones, and almost throwing himself onto Zhou Mingyuan's screen.

"A phantom pink badger?! A rare, flawless badger without any holes?!"

Xiong Yao's eyes widened like copper bells as he stared intently at the leisurely messenger on the screen, his voice sharp and distorted.

"Brother Zhou! Did you fucking buy this?"

"Where did you get this? Holy crap, it's a rare find!"

He was rambling incoherently, gesticulating wildly, and making the loudest "fuck" noise tonight.

Xiong Yao's finger, which was pointing at the screen, was trembling violently.

As a veteran Dota 2 player, he knew all too well what this thing in front of him meant.

This is more than just a game item; it's the ultimate collectible that countless players dream of, a symbol of luck, wealth, and taste.

Its value is in no way inferior to many real-world luxury goods.

Even Yu Feiyang was completely dumbfounded at this moment.

He never imagined that he would see such a legendary item, which only existed in forum posts and high-priced trading websites, in his roommate's daily game.

Moreover, the visual effects of this badger, with its dreamy pink and white color scheme and ethereal particle effects, are full of ultimate beauty even to his discerning eye.

There's also the smell of money.

"Old Zhou"

Yu Feiyang's voice was slightly hoarse as he asked with difficulty, "You just mentioned something, do you remember now?"

"Could this also be a Christmas present, someone trying to show off to us brothers?"

"Hahahaha"

Faced with the glares from his two roommates that seemed to want to devour him alive, Zhou Mingyuan couldn't help but laugh.

"It really is."

"This messenger was sent by Li Zhi."

"Does it look good?"

"Beautiful, fucking beautiful!"

Xiong Yao's voice rose again, as he felt his bottom line of understanding being breached time and time again.

"I could understand if she gave you something else."

"But she sent you a chicken from the game—no, a badger! A super-powerful badger at that! How did she even know about it? And how did she manage to get her hands on one?! This... this..."

Xiong Yao talked for a long time, but still couldn't come up with a solution.

He looked at the ethereal pink-white badger on the screen, worth tens of thousands and considered a work of art, then at Zhou Mingyuan's smiling profile, and then at the equally expensive black Submariner from earlier, and his brain completely shut down.

He suddenly thought of the sun and the moon.

If Gu Caiwei's personality is like the sun, then her style of giving gifts is the same.

I'm being generous and want to give you the best things in the world.

Then Li Zhi is more like the moon.

This gift is a declaration hidden beneath the surface.

I understand you, so I want to find out what suits your taste best for you.

The former shocks the world's eyes, while the latter strikes the softest corner of the heart.

(End of this chapter)